Hidden Veracity
by Hatsuharu
Summary: SasuSaku? NaruSaku? AU Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke have been best friends forever. Haruno Sakura is the new girl, and the two find themselves liking her. How will this affect their relationship since they're falling for the same girl?
1. Meetings

**Chapter One**

Sasuke held the tiny dish in one hand before him, his other hand properly holding two chopsticks. He looked down suspiciously, eyebrow raised at his meal. It was a burning hot host for miniature stringy snakes, all golden and tangled in a thick hot spring. He fished out a few, some fighting back by sliding back into their habitat, and he took a bite, quietly sipping in a few of the reptiles that tried to escapse from his mouth. He grimaced.

"This is terrible," he said, his face reflecting his disgust. He turned to the boy next to him, one with spiky, almost oily looking sunny blonde hair and clear river blue eyes. The boy smiled as he chuckled and gratefully took the bowl from Sasuke's hand, immediantly chowing down.

"Geez, how can you . . ." he paused as he loudly slurped in his food, ". . .hate ramen?"

"How can you like it so much?" Sasuke asked back, staring at the bowl - which was quickly emptying.

"'Cause it's good."

Sasuke managed a smirk, then turned his head forward as a car before them hurtled by on the streets, since he had nothing more interesting to say and his friend was eating. They were sitting on the steps of one of many run down town houses, next to a few equally tarnished boarding homes. As another rather beat up looking vehicle drove by; a stench filled his nostrils and inwardly he wished they had gone to his house today instead.

These streets were part of the neighborhood of his best friend, Uzumaki Naruto.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto said, poking his shoulder with the chopsticks. "If you're hungry, I can get you something else, you know."

For a moment Sasuke continued to observe the now familiar world before him as if he hadn't seen it before; from the cracks on the now 'much needed to be paved again' sidewalks to the fellow students he recognized from school playing sports like kickball in the middle of the street. He felt something nudge his shoulder again, and turned to Naruto, who had put his now completely empty bowl on the step beside him.

"You're holding them wrong," Sasuke pointed out, taking the chopsticks and showing him the 'correct' way to grip them. Naruto shot him an annoyed look, sticking out his tongue, but it wasn't more than a second later that he already was laughing.

"Gawd, I hate you!" he said jokingly through snorts, throwing his head back and holding his stomach as if to show emphasis. "You're too uptight with the dumbest things!"

Sasuke looked at him like he was stupid. "Get over it."

"_Ass_wipe!"

Sasuke smirked again, knowing that his calm exterior annoyed his best friend, but in an amusing sort of way. Just a second later Naruto's anger was forgotten and he was laughing again as if someone had told him a fantastic joke. That was the best part about teasing him; he was always quite resilient. Or perhaps it was his way of . . . venting? It didn't matter, because the black haired sophomore was more than used to it. It was almost like if his laughter wasn't there, then something in the day would be missing.

For as long as anyone in the tightly-knit neighborhood could remember, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke were as close as friends could be. It was a bit of a strange relationship, one almost always throwing rather vulgar insults while the other acted like he was ignoring it, only to make him throw more remarks. The two were mismatched, so different, so impossible to imagine as anything more than bickering children.

But it was more than that. It was almost impossible to explain, but it was.

Sasuke stood up, stepping down to the sidewalk then turning to Naruto. "I'm going to go home. School is tommorow."

"Study?" Naruto said, and he nodded. He didn't even have to say something full and he would understand it. "But why? Exams are four months away."

"There are things to study for other than exams," Sasuke replied, putting one hand on his hip. He chuckled a little. "You would know that if you actually paid attention."

"Shut up!"

Even then, Naruto waved and said his goodbyes, and Sasuke knew that his anger would subside in a few minutes when his guardian came home with more ramen to consume. To be honest, he had never had ramen before in his life, and today was the day Naruto finally convinced him to try it. He was very, very picky with what he ate unlike his best friend, and something so slimy wasn't very appealing. And of course, he was right. He didn't like it afterall.

As he walked down the sidewalk, he started to think about trying to get Naruto to study more. While he read over his notes taken down in class and memorized every single word in his textbook needed every Saturday and Sunday afternoon, _he_ was just at home chowing down. If he didn't copy off of his tests all the time as well as his homework, he would have still been in fifth grade, as brainless as he was.

"That Naruto," he said with an annoyed sigh under his breath, shaking his head in dissatisfaction a bit. Then, he smirked a little to himself. _'Then again, if he didn't do those things . . .' _

He wouldn't be Naruto.

"Um . . . Excuse me?"

Sasuke stopped walking when a small voice jogged him out of his thoughts. When he felt a tap on his shoulder he turned around, coming face to face with a lady. She had large emerald eyes and light, almost colorless skin it was so pallid. Her mid-lentgh hair was a very rosy tint and framed her cheeks, which had started to glow the same color as soon as she saw him look down on her. He didn't falter though, as he was used to the same reaction with many girls.

After a moment of seeming very timid under Sasuke's rather hard stare, she took a deep breath and smiled at him, the blush on her visage fading away as quickly as it came. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I just moved here yesterday, and I'm trying to get to know people better!"

"Is that so?" he replied. If he was surprised about someone moving here in this rather poor environment he didn't show it. Most who moved here often planned to stay here, since it was economical and the prices of quality houses were ridiculous. In that respect, it was rare to see new people since no one moved out.

Sasuke didn't say anything more and just waved to her a little, not bothering to introduce himself. He turned around and continued to walk home, but then he heard a few excited steps. Sakura was walking beside him with a smile, trying her best to keep eye contact.

"Yeah, this place is a real downgrade from where I used to live," she admitted, taking a glance around. "My parents ran their own business, but now it's gone so we don't really have much anymore."

Another pause sounded between them for a few more seconds. She found it a bit awkward, but he acted like she wasn't even there. She tried to think of other things to talk about. "I'm . . . I'm going to start going to Konoha High school starting tommorow." He finally looked at her, and she felt she had suceeded in her task to get his attention. Sakura smiled. "Oh! Do you anything about it?"

"I go there," he replied, and for a moment she thought he wouldn't say anything more about it. "A lot of people in this neighborhood go there. Just ask anyone, they'll tell you about it."

'_Bummer,' _she thought, pouting a little. _'I don't want to talk to anyone else about it . . .' _It was hard enough for her to gain the courage and approach one complete stranger. Now he was suggesting that she go and talk to more? What if one turned out to be a stalker?

'_Then again, he could have been a stalker.' _

Sakura shook the thought out of her head, noting what drew her to talk to him in the first place. While he obviously wasn't too talkative, his features made up for it. His sooty black hair was prickled in many directions, and much hung over his coal colored eyes. In comparison, his skin was almost as pale as hers, however he had covered most of his body up with a dark azure long sleeved shirt and loose-fitting denims.

"For someone so cute, you sure don't dress well," she muttered. She stared down at the sidewalk, her hands held together in front of her. She only averted her eyes this time to see if she caught his attention, but he disregarded her insult as well. She stopped completely, suddenly realizing that she was going a little too far away from her home with someone she didn't even know. That, and she felt annoyed that someone could be so rude as he was.

"Well, like I said," she started, holding out a hand to shake it, "My name is Haruno Sakura. If we see each other in school or something, I hope we can be friends."

Sasuke looked at the young girls' hand like it was something foreign, but shook it anyway out of respect. Instead of saying goodbye, he simply said, "Uchiha Sasuke."

'_Sasuke . . .' _she thought, feeling a sort of satisfaction that she was able to get his name. She smiled charmingly and turned around, walking home and hoping that since he was the only person she met that they would see each other again.

X x x x x

The first chapter has finally been edited. :D Hopefully no mistakes remain now!


	2. Conversations

**Chapter Two**

Uzumaki Naruto was a Sophomore, like his best friend, only because of sheer luck as it seemed. Over the years he had developed ingenius ways of cheating, and while many suspected it due to his lazy behavior when students studied in class, none could catch him and prove it. In that manner, he was smarter than anyone.

In the morning, a small, square, silver alarm clock with green flashing numbers showed '7:15', which was the prefered time his guardian had set it on. The numbers flickered and a booming buzz sounded from it, dsiturbing him. Naruto tightly shut his eyes and groaned, rolling over his body to the side of his dresser. With a powerful hand like he was swatting a fly he slammed on the timepiece, which immediantly halted its loud blare.

"Just . . . just _shut up_," he moaned in a barely audible voice. He pulled his hand-me-down, raggidy navy colored covers over his head and dove his head into the pillow, trying to at least get a few more minutes in when he heard another, more consistent ring. This time opening his large blue eyes, he sat up and picked up the item on his dresser next to his annoying alarm clock.

"Hello?" muttered Naruto in a groggy voice, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes at the same time. A deep, seemingly fully awake tone came through the receiver of the phone.

"It's almost time for school," it said, and Naruto imagined that his friend was checking the watch he often wore on his wrist at the same time out of habit. Sasuke obviously had his cell phone with him. "Get dressed and I'll meet you outside of your house."

"Right, right." He hung up the phone without saying any farewells and pulled his covers off, wishing for a moment that he could drag them around when there was a sudden loss of warmth. He suddenly felt an energy run through him as he quickly grabbed old unwashed clothes from a smelly stack in the corner and threw them on. There was a question he wanted to ask Sasuke, and rather badly too.

Dressed in dark lime colored parachute pants and a loose, slightly stained and worn white t-shirt, Naruto dashed out of his room and slid down the already wobbling pole that was down the stairs; even if his guardian wanted it to impress people and make the house look fancy, _he _did not. What good was one fancy thing when you couldn't afford another?

The ground on the first floor wasn't very large, and while two rooms were seperated with a wall and a tiny opening that was door-free, it couldn't hide the diminuative size. There was a kitchen in front of him now, an island with a small brown bag on it surrounded by dark chocolate tinted cabinets and a sink with a bent faucet. Then next room was their living room, with two comfortable couches and a television that often refused to show the right channels.

Naruto took the paper bag on the island, and since the door to outside was right there he left instead of waiting to open the bag and see what was inside. Standing at the bottom stair and turning to look at him when he came out was of course, Sasuke.

"Thanks for waking me up," said Naruto with a yawn as he hopped down the steps two by two till he was next to Sasuke. "I would've fallen asleep again, or something."

"Iruka?" his friend asked, and Naruto waved it off. He instantly understood that his guardian was working earlier than his usual hours were supposed to be; lately, this premature leave in the morning was becoming more customary. Suddenly Sasuke smelled an awful stench and clamped his nose, covering his mouth as well. Then he said angrily, "Are you wearing unwashed clothes again!"

Naruto laughed like he had almost done it on purpose just to annoy Sasuke, then he patted his shoulder like he was sorry. "I've gotta save up money for a new skateboard I saw; wearing old clothes is nothing!"

"I _beg_ to differ," he replied, disgusted. Sasuke had on him his backpack for school and reached for it, taking out of one of the smaller pouches a tiny spray bottle. He thrust it onto Naruto's chest, looking away to try and take away the smell as best he could.

Naruto took it while Sasuke shifted through his bag for something else, reading the label and chuckling. "Strawberry . . ." he giggled girlishly, ringing his offguard friend around the neck and yelling excitedly, "Oh my _God_, I can smell like the _sexy Sasuke _now! _Yeay_!"

"Shut up!"

"Puh-_lease_," he kidded as Sasuke next handed him a comb. The two began to walk towards their school, which was an easy distance, just a little bit out of the neighborhood. Naruto looked around at the same time, running the comb through his short but interweaved, oily hair. He snorted. "Damn, that girl isn't around. I guess she was being driven."

He instantly noticed his friend becoming tense for a moment, then walking along coolly like he always did. He smirked evily, ready to take oppurtunity and relish the moment. "Oh, yeah Sasuke; I'm talking about that hot chick _you _were walking with yesterday when you were going home."

"How do you know about that?" Sasuke suddenly said, turning to him. He noticed that his face was tinted with a little embarrassment, and he grinned.

'_He hates it when I find out his secrets,' _Naruto thought, suddenly giggling. He whistled and started to take long strides with his hands behind his back, acting as if he didn't want to talk about it anymore in a sarcastic sort of way. He could tell he was infuriating the black haired sophomore even more, which for him in particular was easy to do.

"Come _on_," Sasuke said in an almost begging type voice, his eyes shifting away towards the street as he talked. He spoke in a low whisper, as if he were losing his pride by asking the question and didn't want others to hear. "How did you learn about that?"

"I saw her yesterday," Naruto replied plainly. "She's my new neighbor, and she said she was walking with a '_really cute guy'_." He embellished on the description, annoying his best friend further.

"And?"

He chuckled again. "I said, 'Yeah, he _is _cute, isn't he? I tell him that every time we make out.'"

"You _bastard_!"

"Just kidding! I told her that I hope we could become friends," he said, patting Sasuke's back reassuringly. "How was I supposed to know the guy was you anyway?"

"I guess. . ."

Their school, Konoha as it was named, was actually quite decent despite the neighborhood right next to it. It was small, only holding about five hudred high schoolers, but because of that they had the money for real expenses, and teachers could spend more quality time with their students, getting to know them. Things like respect and teamwork were mottos there, as well as friendhsip; learning of course was important too, but the atmosphere of learning was what made this place different from the others.

Because it was so dissimilar, it was seperated from the other schools and no one new really went there. Everyone knew each other, no matter what the grade, and they were all family.

Strange how sometimes the closest family members have different tastes.

As soon as Sasuke and Naruto walked in together, heads turned. They were both quite popular in different ways; Sasuke for his pretty face and amazing athletics, and Naruto for his kiddish and loving behavior. Also in particular, both were orphans, so they were given special treatment, even if it wasn't needed.

"Hi Naruto!" A girl said through the hall, shouting it over top the sound of smashing locker doors. He waved back, grinning cheerfully. He noticed the girl had her shy friend with her, a dark haired girl with straight bangs like a bowl cut and even amounts of hair framing her face at the front. When she saw him, her face instantly turned a dark red and she turned around to face her locker, fiddling for the combination to open it.

"_Hey_ Hinata!" Naruto shouted to the girl as he went by to get to his own locker, "I think you're really cute!"

What he said made her even further embarrassed, and giggles from all the girls around followed as they crowded around the shy girl to ask what her secret was. He smiled, satisfied, then he felt a nudge on his shoulder. When he turned, Sasuke was still next to him. "What?"

"Don't you think that was a bit rude?" he asked. They had finally reached their lockers near the very end of the hallway, both right next to each other since they could choose which ones they wanted at the beginning of the year. Naruto looked at him curiously, wondering what in the world he was talking about as he spun the dial to open his small, thin and tall storeroom. He shrugged.

"It's all in good fun," he replied when he finally got it open. "They know I'm playing, but I guess I'll talk to Hinata later anyway." He flashed a grin. "She really is cute!"

Sasuke didn't reply, still not feeling comfortable with it. Naruto knew he had always been far more sensitive than he let others believe, and only he among a few others were allowed to see more sides of him. Even something as little as being jokingly affectionate bothered him sometimes. He was used to this mood from him by now though.

"Hey, it's you!"

Both turned their head to the locker next to them, the empty one at the very end that obivously wasn't going to be so empty for long. A little surprised because of another chance meeting with the first person she met there was the new girl both Naruto and Sasuke spoke to before; Haruno Sakura.

X x x x x

Another edited chapter. XD Yes!


	3. Observations

**Chapter Three**

Haruno Sakura's eyes widened as she saw the same raven haired boy from yesterday staring back at her; what were the chances that their lockers were next to each other? Immediately she noticed that his fashion sense had stayed as bleak as ever, wearing a striped button-up shirt with a long-sleeved gray one underneath and very loose-fitting jeans. However, his face was still just as pretty as it was the day before, and seeing it made hers turn a dark crimson in response.

"Umm . . . Sasuke, right?" she asked, looking down a little and trying to pull some of her cotton candy colored hair behind her ear. It just came undone and fell on her face, something she half-expected. "So . . . how are you?"

At first he looked at her like she was crazy, then he turned and opened his locker, placing in old books from his late classes the day before and replacing them with ones he needed for the morning. At first, she thought he was going to be as rude as to not reply, but in an uninterested tone he said, "Fine."

'_He said he was fine!' _she thought to herself, almost hating how she was excited about such a small thing. Then again, it had always been this way with her. Whenever she talked to a boy whose features of absolute attractiveness lit up the room, her senses went wild. She giggled a little, too excited for words.

"Ow!"

She looked up and was distracted from her fantasies with boys when she saw Sasuke being shoved out of the way by a spiky, blonde haired boy with a wide, almost tacky smile. She remembered him as the new neighbor she vaguely talked to yesterday, and felt an small pit land in her stomach.

"_Hola_," he said, trying to sound sly and leaning his hands against Sasuke's locker, which he slammed closed. "_Yo soy sexi_."

"It's '_Tu eres'_," Sasuke said in a nasty tone, clearly annoyed by his friend. "Dumbass."

"Ah _ha_!" Naruto whipped around, completely ignoring Sakura's flustered face, "So you _do _think she's hot!"

". . ."

"Uh . . . Sasuke, buddy, you don't have to be mad about it . . . eheheh . . ."

As if cowarding behind how incredibly infuriated his best friend seemed, he turned again and before Sakura could say anything he hid behind her, pushing her forward and gripping her shoulders like a shield.

"Save me!" he whispered in her ear, and although he sounded a little desperate, she noticed how he giggled a bit. Although just as irritated as Sasuke, she didn't really want to be involved in a fight either, especially on her first day.

"Ummm . . . Sasuke?" she said, putting up her hands a bit as if telling him to stop. "Could you . . . calm down please?"

For a moment it seemed like asking for a request like that so meagerly wouldn't work, but almost immediately he calmed down, as if he realized he just lost his cool in public. He ran his hands through the bangs of his hair, took a deep breath and looked past Sakura and straight to Naruto.

"Let's go," he said, and when she turned her head Naruto gave a thumbs up and smiled. Before she let him leave, she grabbed the clothing of his shoulder.

"Wait!" she said, and the blonde seemed to right away stop, pleased as if she was going to confess to him. "I don't know where my classes are, and . . ."

"Oh, no problem," he replied. She reached into a brown purse that was strapped around her shoulder and took out a small oblong piece of paper, complete with seven classes plus lunch. He scanned it for a moment, then he grinned widely. Sasuke, as if he could see his friends' face, turned a bit to look at the two curiously, though he didn't say anything.

"Would you look at that . . . You're in our first class!"

"What!"

Both the young lady and the stoic young man looked down at the same schedule. And of course, Naruto was right; reading at the first row was, 'Period One: AP Science.'

'_AP?' _Sakura thought, looking at the both of them and beginning to compare them. _'I guess Sasuke looks like a guy who would be okay with work, but the other guy . . .' _She snorted a little as she thought, _'He looks dumber than a rock.'_

"You must be really smart," Naruto went on, following down her schedule with wide eyes. "You're like Sasuke- _All_ AP classes! I wish I were a genius; I only get in 'cause I copy off of him."

He pointed back to Sasuke, who glanced at him friend at the mention of his name for a moment then turned nonchalantly, trying to find interest in the ceiling. Sakura snorted again, this time doing it a little louder than intended so she covered her mouth politely. _'So that's why he's in such a high class!'_

Naruto put him arm around her neck, ringing her around like she was a guy-friend instead of a delicate girl, which made her a bit angry. She didn't bother to say anything, as he was the only way to her first class. That, and Sasuke. As soon as the blonde boy started moving, partially jerking her along yet trying to sweetalk her at the same time with nothings that she wasn't particularly paying any attention to, the supplementary sophomore followed.

Sakura watched him through the hall they were strolled through as he seemed casually unaware of his surroundings, and she noticed that as he walked by, heads turned. Suddenly, she wasn't just amazed by his looks, but at how much _presence_ he seemed to have just by going by someone. Of course, he's been at the school so people would know him, but even guys turned for him to say hello.

. . . Or maybe they were turning for Naruto?

'_Yeah Right!' _she thought. Sakura started to recall how the two of them had met:

It was just after she had been walking with Sasuke, whom she found to be as attractive and handsome as one could ever be. Her small feet clicked against the scrapy sidewalk a bit, but she wouldn't have noticed anything on her way home her mind was so filled. She was always a romantic like girl, and whenever she met someone she fancied she felt unusually giddy.

"Hey!"

She jumped she was so harshly petrified out of her thoughts when a blonde haired boy seemed to arrive out of nowhere before her. They were so close, their noses were almost touching, and she was face to face with wide, crystal sapphire eyes. When the figure drew back, she saw a wide smile as well, but a strange feature she noticed on this young man's face were three scars on both of his cheeks.

"What's up?" he asked, walking backwards until he was sitting down on the third row of steps to a house; she automatically assumed that it was his home. She watched him before speaking as he picked up a bowel of ramen from the step next to him and started to eat, slurping his food so loudly she kept turning her head to see if others were staring. Fortunately, no one was there to gape.

"I'm . . . good," Sakura replied, feeling a little uncomfortable watching him chow down like that. She was about to turn away inconspicuously, but she suddenly thought of a good questions to as him. She turned back around and smiled. "I'm good! Say, I have a question . . ."

"Yeah?"

"I just met this boy . . . and he's really cute! We were walking together and we didn't talk much, so . . ." she paused as if to try and find a way to make this sentence constructive. "By any chance do you know someone by the name of Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sakura noticed how surprised he seemed when Sasuke's name was mentioned, and he even put his bowl down. He smiled. "Yup, I know him!" A flutter of butterflies suddenly came about inside her. "Yeah, he _is _cute, isn't he? I tell him that every time we make out."

The butterflies were suddenly smashed by rocks.

"Just kidding!" he said, but even then she still felt unsettled. "I think if I paid Sasuke a million dollars he wouldn't make out with me. Then again, if he paid me a million dollars I wouldn't either! That's right . . ." he winked at her, making her rather disgusted since there was bits of ramen all over his cheeks, "I'm reserved for the ladies!"

"That's nice to know," she replied. _'About the idea of Sasuke being gay I mean!' _

Sakura suddenly realized that while she was walking she had made it to her home. Right across the street from this boys' place was her own home, which looked just as unhealthy as the rest of them. She frowned a bit, looking at what she had now compared to what she had then. She smiled at the blonde and waved saying, "Sorry, I've gotta go . . ."

"'Kay," he said. He noticed how she was just staring at the house and smiled at his good fortune. "By the way, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Sasuke's best friend."

'_You mean they're actually friends!' _she thought, completely taken aback. _'So far, they were total oppisites . . .' _

"Nice to meet you. I'm Haruno Sakura."

X x x x

Editing this, I realized I used the first and last names together a lot instead of just their first names. XD I like it this way.


	4. Presence

**Chapter Four**

Sakura followed behind Naruto and Sasuke just a little in the hallway. While she was glad that she didn't have blondie to blatantly flirt with her anymore, she was interested in talking to the other. She already had strong opinions of the two of them: one was sexy, brilliant . . . And the other? An idiot, or something to that extent.

'_How did those two become best friends of all people?' _she thought. If she hadn't been told such a thing and seen them for herself chatting together, she would have laughed; afterall, they were inclusive opposites.

Trying not to make it too obvious that she was listening in, Sakura glanced around the boring walls and now shutting lockers. No matter which direction she stared at, she made sure she had one ear alert.

". . . so anyway, Kakashi agreed to let me keep going with my karate lessons since I'm almost a black belt and all," Naruto said. Already her interest had been piquied.

'_Naruto knows Karate?' _

"No pay?" Sasuke replied. He seemed a little surprised. "Normally it would cost at least twelve-hundred for just six months."

"Yup! I told him if he ever needed anything big though, he could count on me."

". . . And?"

"He said all I need to do is earn an A-plus on our next exam!"

Sasuke sighed. "Sounds impossible."

"_Hey_!"

Sakura couln't resist giggling a bit. Even if she was a little creeped out by Naruto, being as he smelled like a mix between strawberry and trash, had oily, unwashed hair and was seemed to have lack of manners or smarts, he was also sort of cute. In a charming way. Obviously not in looks; even if he did dress nicely and smelled like he had bathed over the weekend, his face was also far too boyish! But there was some sort of quality in him that made her interested in what he was saying.

'_I guess that's what they call presence,'_ she thought, smiling to herself. Sakura was so lost in thought at the moment that she hadn't realized both boys had stopped, and she bumped into Naruto's back. He turned around, and for the first time she noticed that he was actually a few inches shorter than her. She glanced to Sasuke to see the comparison, and he was quite taller than the both of them.

Naruto pointed up to a small sign that read '2-C', and nodded like he had already explained. "This is your first class, with us. AP Science!"

She nodded and was about to walk in when Sasuke had actually made his way in first, completely ignoring the rules of 'ladies first'. She stopped for him, pouting as she eyed him, and even that he didn't respond to.

'_So there is something bad about him!'_ she thought. _'Other than his clothes.'_

"Don't you wanna to go?"

She looked over to Naruto, who was standing next to her while a few others students made their way to class. She gave him a quizzical expression, and he nodded like it was obvious.

"Ladies first, right?" he asked, as if making sure. Suddenly the words made her face light up, and for the first time since they had met she actually found something good about him. When he said he was 'reserved for the ladies' when she first saw him the day before, she thought it was a sad excuse for a joke. Maybe he did have manners after all.

"Thanks!" she said with a smile, walking in, followed by Naruto. _'Still . . . Sasuke is cuter!'_

While the two boys took their seats, coincidentily right next to each other in desks rowed by four, she took a spot standing in the front of the room since she didn't have an appointed place. There was still plenty of chatter in the classroom, and her face flushed when she saw just how many glanced in her direction. She had a strong feeling most were talking about her.

She tried to look at some of the students, trying to see if she could familiarize herself with everyone by face first. She saw one particular young man in the corner of the back row of the classroom, all by himself. He had long, black hair that was pulled back in a rather spiky plait and a few piercings in each ear. He was sleeping, so she diverted her attention to a few more students, from another black long haired young man and then a third black haired boy with a bowl cut and a rather amusing face. She tried hard to hold back her laugh.

"Everyone!" Naruto shouted, jumping out of his chair and standing on his desk to get everyone's attention. She noticed how the girl next to him flushed and covered her face, as if embarrassed by his actions. The class quited for a second. "Observe."

He jumped of the desk and walked over to the entrance door to the classroom and closed it, only leaving a small window with tiny wired criss-crosses on it to see through. He turned to everyone and put up a finger, whispering a tiny, "Shhhhhh!" that made a small fit of giggles erupt in class.

"Sakura!" he said in the same low voice, as if they were on a secret mission. "Hand me an eraser, okay?"

"What?" she asked, speaking the same as him. Everyone started talking again, and she heard her name quite a few times so she knew that they were probably wondering how Naruto already knew her name. Naruto ushered them down again, then turned to her again and held out a hand.

Deciding it was best to just go with whatever he was planning, she reached into her brown bag to take out an eraser and handed it out when he shook his head. "Not that kind! The chalkboard kind!"

'_Chalkboard?' _Sakura thought, and when he pointed she turned around, seeing the teachers desk and right behind that so it was before everyone in the classroom, a wall-long chalkboard. She grabbed two erasers on the lecturer's counter and quickly tossed it to him, eager to find out was was going to happen.

Naruto looked through the tiny window then back away suddenly, turning to everyone and muttering, "He's coming, he's coming!"

That was a cue for everyone to fall silent, and with the erasers behind his back, Naruto stayed just as quiet right next to the door. In comparison to how hushed the class was, the door opening was quite loud, almost like a creek, and before Sakura could get a good look at whoever it was that opened it Naruto jumped in front and took in a deep breath, clashing the two erasers together and creating a giant puff of smoke.

"Yeah!" quite a few students shouted, who all celebrated by punching the air and chattering loudly again. Sakura felt a bit flabbergasted, more because that silly trick was one of the most childish things in the world, yet she couldn't help but giggle since it was at the same time, 'cool'.

She glanced over to Sasuke to see how he would react to his best friends' actions, and instead of actually smiling or cheering along with them he turned his face as if he were ashamed. Immediately she tried to stop her chuckling to try and impress him, this time turning to Naruto and saying like she was angry, "Why did you do that!"

"Why do you think?" Naruto replied with a wide smiling, tossing back the erasers for her to put on the desk, which she did so quickly before she was caught with them. "Don't worry, it's all in good fun!"

"But it's not very mature," she said. Outside, she was angry, but on the inside she was still laughing. _'That was so cool! I wish I did that . . .'_

"Alright, you got me," a voice sounded through the chalk along with a bit of coughing. When it finally cleared, Sakura found this person, who was obviously the teacher for their class, a little weird. He had silver, all-over-the-place hair and bandages that covered not only his left eye, but his mouth and all all the way down to his collarbone , where a regular black T-Shirt took over. For now, what little of his face that was shown had bits of dusty chalk yellow on it.

'_T-Shirt?' _she thought, forgetting about the strange bandages for a moment. _'The teachers here . . . why are they so casual?' _

"Sakura!" Naruto said, getting her attention. He pointed to the teacher, who obviously wasn't angered at all, but smiling. "This is out teacher, Hatake Kakashi."

X x x x x

In the original version I had Naruto call Kakashi, "Kakashi-Sensei." But, being as Sakura through the story calls him "Mr. Hatake", and no one else uses suffixes, it didn't make sense. So, editing it beautiful! -heart-


	5. Company

**Chapter Five**

Sakura soon realized just how rarely a new student came to the school; those excited whispers she heard earlier, the ones that were only died down by a childish prank, roared louder than ever. Her new first period teacher, Mr. Hatake as she had decided to call him, directed everyone to do it in a more organized fashion, telling them all to raise their hands so she wouldn't feel too overwhelmed. To her surprise, they actually listened.

Naruto once again jumped on top of his desk, looking around as he tried to raise his hand higher than anyone else's. He succeeded. "Hey, when's your birthday!"

"What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. It was one of those questions that wasn't necessarily strange, but . . . Why would he ask that? "Is there a reason you need to know?"

"So I can get you a present," he replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Alright," she muttered to herself, still not so convinced. She liked the idea of receiving gifts from a boy, though. "March Twenty-Eight."

"Next month!"

The rest of the class continued on with questions like, 'Have you ever had a boyfriend?' or 'What was her old home like?' She didn't really want to answer either of those in particular: Both made her heart sink. She was rather glad when Naruto would half interrupt these people and instead made her feel better like, 'What's your favorite kind of animal?' and 'Since you're in all AP classes, you must have a high GPA right?'

"Lucky you," Naruto said with a pouty face as he sat back down in his chair fully, putting his elbow on his desk and holding his head in his hand. "I think my GPA for our last report card was like . . . a 1.3 or something."

The class laughed loudly at him and even he laughed. It was by then that the class bell rang and everyone abruptly stood, some of them whispering thank-yous for getting them out of class. She was a little upset Sasuke said nothing to her the entire class and not when he walked by, but a few other male students did.

"Wow," one said, a wide smile on his face. "You're even cuter close up!"

"R-really?" Something about Naruto and him hitting on her didn't faze her, even though it didn't happen often. With this guy, someone she didn't even register while in class, her shy side came and she blushed at the compliment. "Thank you . . ."

She nodded respectfully and said her goodbyes, beginning to walk out the front door when the second male of the three slammed his hand to the wall in front of her, stopping her. He smirked.

"Come on," he said, his voice filled with a lecherous desire. She could almost taste it, and an instinct of fear rose up. Why hadn't she ever learned to stand up for herself? "All we want is a phone number today, Sakura."

"Today?" she repeated in a small voice, her eyes towards the ground. _'What did they mean by 'today'? I hope they're not expecting more . . .' _

"Hey, knock it off!"

Pushing the boy out of the way was none other than the one who had made her answer every pointless question under the sun: Naruto, who gave each of the other boys a deadly leer. At first they laughed a little, but a fierce blow was delivered to one of the troublemakers' face, knocking him against the wall and making him second guess. It wasn't enough to knock him out and the three quickly hurried out of the classroom.

"You okay?" Naruto asked, patting her shoulder a bit. She shuddered at the touch, but she knew, or at least she was sure that this touch was okay. She nodded, and suddenly wanted to cry. Not because she was scared; it was more like she hated herself for being afraid of something like that. Didn't girls want that to happen to them all the time?

'_I just . . .' _as much as Sakura loved to fantasize, real life wasn't so kind to her. She wanted a relationship, a trusting love so badly, but how could she do that when she hated boys who were merely asking for her number? They probably did have worse intentions from the way they acted, but still . . . Even then, she had to learn to stand up for herself.

Everything in her life lately though, not just this, was crashing. It was all going down.

"It's okay," Naruto said, then again for a second and third time. He didn't want to hug her; that would probably make the situation worse, since she was just harassed. Her hands covered her face and her bangs fell over as she started to cry a little. He jogged over to the teacher's desk where Kakashi-sensei was sitting, leaning back in a chair reading a book with a white cover over top of it.

"Sorry I used my karate in class, Kakashi," he said, taking the tissue box. The older of the two waved it off, not taking his eyes off the book. He barely seemed to realize Naruto had used his first name, as if he were used to the calling. Naruto smirked as he went back to Sakura- his master, his _teacher_, was a very strange man indeed.

"Here you go."

Sakura lifted her head a bit and took a few tissues from the box and wiped her face with it, the make-up she was wearing smearing over her face. _'Great,' _she thought, her arms trembling a little. _'Now I won't look like that pretty girl those boys were going after.' _

After a moment she looked up at Naruto, who didn't have the box anymore but still had a few more tissues in his hand in case she needed them. She felt like crying some more, but something inside her just didn't have the initiative. They met eyes for a few moments, and he smiled. "Wanna talk about it? I have this place I go when I just wanna skip class- its great!"

'_Skip class?' _Sakura thought, an electric shock running through her. She'd never done that before in her life. In fact, she really enjoyed her classes and loved to learn. But this offer was something she really couldn't resist. She hadn't had anyone to talk to since she came here, and while she very well could run to the school guidance counselor, maybe speaking to her own peer would be best. "Sure . . . thank you."

Barely before the bell rang and while late students were rushing to get to their classes on time, Naruto and Sakura hurried out into the hallway and jogged a little, slowing sometimes under the eyes of teachers waiting for their lessons to start. To her, even though they only ran down the hallway, it was a long one since she had never been down it before. She wanted to look around and maybe even count how many white checkered spots on the floor there were as opposed to the black ones.

They finally came across the very last one, and Naruto looked around, jumping a bit when the loud bell for tardiness sounded. He quickly opened the door and ushered her in, closing it as quietly as he could. It was dark, but Sakura could faintly see stairs before her, and Naruto's shoes clanged against the steel steps. She saw his hand vaguely being held out to her, and she took it, hoping she wouldn't fall.

Instead of a ceiling above them there was an off sideways door and Naruto pushed on it, revealing above the both of them a sunny light and a baby blue as far as they could see. He stepped further until he was out on the top of the school building, pulling her up as well. It was windy and her hair was blowing over her face, but in a way the view was _incredible. _She relished in a sort of free spirit thinking, looking at the infinite amount of green land stamped with cherry blossom trees that strode around the school. The petals blew up so high that there were many piles on the top where they stood.

"This is amazing!" she said excitedly, running out to the edge of the building. She looked down, learning how high she was and feeling brave for it. It changed her mood instantly to a happy one, and she was glad she learned of this spot so early. "What a view . . ."

"Yup!" Naruto agreed, standing next to her. Looking down, she almost lost her balance and fell, but the shorter of the two grabbed the back of the collar of her shirt and pulled her back. She choked a little, but she was still grateful nonetheless. He sat down, his legs dangling over the edge and she did the same. It was still morning so the sun wasn't exactly up yet, but it was rising. It was astonishing to watch. "So, what's bothering you?"

'_Oh.' _For a moment she had completely forgotten the reason she came up here in the first place. Just looking around alone made the dark feelings go away, but Sakura still thought it best to talk about it since she knew that as soon as she walked back inside, the murk would arise again. She lifted one of her legs and rested her chin on it, wrapping her arms around it as well. "Well . . . I don't know where to start."

"Start by why you moved here," he said, and it was almost as if she were a target board and he threw the at the problem dead-center. Had he read her mind? "Going to a place like where I live isn't really a good sign, especially with money."

Sakura began slowly, beginning to talk faster as she felt her emotions rile up. "Mom and Dad . . . they've had their own business ever since I was little, and it was really nice and it did really well. Then they started to argue and fight, and they never talked to me, and . . ." She felt something crawl up her throat, making it hard to speak. A sizzling hot water arose in her eyes and she squeezed them closed. "Things just . . . went wrong."

Naruto didn't say anything, and part of her was surprised about it. He already was the gentlemanly type, she could say. A little bit of an arrogant jerk, but he certainly knew morals even if he was immature. Didn't he have anything to say? _Anything_?

There was a long silence between them, and Sakura glanced over his way for the first time. He caught it and smiled, reaching into his pocket and holding out more tissues, which she gladly took to clean her face. _'Say something, please! I don't know . . .'_

"The sky is really pretty, isn't it?" he said out of nowhere, surprising her yet again. It made her angry, and she scrunched up the now wet cleaner in her hand. Did he even listen to her this whole time? What a jerk! "I bet both of your parents are at work right now, looking up at the same sky and thinking the same thing. Imagine that!"

. . . Maybe he was paying attention. But while it didn't have much to do with her situation and he didn't even know the tip of the iceberg, it made her feel so much better. It wasn't sympathy, or an 'I can relate' story he fed her. It was just something . . . nice.

He laughed some in a boyish way, the way she heard his laugh already many times earlier that day. "The only difference between them and us is that they're not skipping."

She giggled herself a little at that; it wasn't funny, but it was uplifting. She smiled back at him, a warm feeling settling in her stomach. Her cheeks felt the same, but it wasn't a blush. It was very comfortable. She didn't ignore what things he said before, but still, she didn't know what else to say. "Yeah . . . the sky really is pretty . . ."

X x x x x

I still like this chapter a lot. XD So sweet! Naruto's just too adorable. -hugs him-


	6. Compliments

**Chapter Six **

Sakura thought it best to stay on the rooftop until she heard the bell for the next class. Truthfully, she didn't want to leave. She hadn't said another word to Naruto in the time they were up there, but for some reason now, she didn't feel like she needed to. She didn't feel like he needed to say anything either.

She loved this feeling. She didn't even explain everything that was happening, but it was as if Naruto already knew it all. She was clean inside, pure, just . . . content. She hadn't felt this way in such a long time, and she wanted to relish in it.

When it finally rang however, she stood up and stretched a bit at the edge, being careful not to lose her balance for a second time. She quickly thanked Naruto and turned to walk to the stairs, wondering how she was going to inconspicuously get into the building without being noticed by the teachers. Then she stopped when she noticed her new friend still hadn't gotten up. "Aren't you coming?"

"No way!" he replied, waving a hand and throwing her another corny smile. "My last class was Math, and this one's English."

She raised an eyebrow, putting her hands on her hips in a more mocking way than an angry one. "Do you go to any of your classes?"

"Hey, I'll go later," he replied, linking his fingers together and falling back on the rooftop, staring straight up. "After third period is P.E."

Sakura laughed a little then continuted to go down the stairs, being as quiet as possible when opening the sideways door. Luckily she was able to get through the second door and sneak into the crowd with out anyone noticing her, though she did receive a few strange looks for some reason. She glanced around, remembering that she had no idea where her classes were.

Luckily for her, she saw Uchiha Sasuke walking down the hallway by himself. A few other girls were giggling and whispering amongst each other in their groups as he walked by, but they didn't look like his company. Before he was out of her vision, Sakura took the chance and ran over, her hand grabbing his shoulder a bit. She wanted to turn him around, but surprised, he turned on his own. His body seemed to relax when he saw her, but he gave her the same weird expression others had given her.

Sakura began to feel nervous, but she tried her best to smile anyway. "Is . . . Is something wrong?"

"Your face," he plainly replied as if it were obvious. She didn't realize that while the two had stopped, they slipped to the edge of the hallway to let others through. He was completely facing her now. "What's on it?"

"Wha . . ?" Abruptly she remembered how this morning she wore make up for the first time to try and look better at this school. Then at the end of first period, she started to cry. She knew then that wearing something like that would only make it worse! She spread it all over!

"Oh no," she said in a small, squeaky voice, suddenly hiding her face. "I . . . um . . ."

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, though he seemed more annoyed than caring. She didn't want to tell him what happened between her and Naruto, or the bullies or why she was crying. She was sure he didn't care anyway; so far, he was still just cute.

"I'm sorry," she said, turning, her face still covered. "I need to go to the bathroom!"

"Wait!"

She felt his hand grab at her shoulder, and the same nervous feeling came when she encountered those boys before. She wasn't sure what to do. Maybe Sasuke was really a jerk who knew he looked good? What if he was going to hit on her like those other guys? Surely he wouldn't with such an ugly face before him . . . plus he _is_ Naruto's friend . . .

"You don't know where it is, do you?"

'_That's right,' _Sakura thought, the realization coming immediately. Now not only did she feel unattractive, she felt stupid too. His grip lessened, and she completely regretted her thoughts from before. Head in her hands still, she nodded only a little. She felt his tug and while she knew the crowd thinned, he guided her through what was left. When he stopped, she stopped. She looked up only a little a ran in, muttering a small thanks.

Sakura looked into the mirror and almost wanted to die with how messed up her face seemed. The mascara she worked so hard on putting on just right was smudged all over her cheeks, the black eyeliner looking like it melted on her eyelids. Her face power, which covered any scars from acne, was now more noticable than ever with tear strains cleaning away paths. She wanted to cry some more, and she did as she turned on the water faucet.

"Oh, dear."

She turned her face, twisting her head a bit so that her hair covered her unwashed face. To the right of her at the second mirror was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen in her life. She had flaxen, angelic colored hair pulled back and gorgeous blue eyes. She wore very tight clothing that clung to her breasts and exposed her stomach, unlike was Sakura was wearing, which was a very modest red dress that stopped at her knees.

The girl was putting on lip balm at the moment, but her eyes were on Sakura. "What's wrong?" she asked her, a sweet smile on once she kissed her reflection to get the luster on her lips just right.

Sakura was amazed. Someone so beautiful would speak to her! But she didn't want to dump out all her problems for a second person on the same day. "It's nothing . . . I . . . I was just a little upset, then a really cute guy saw my face like this . . ."

She pointed to all of the smeared make up on her skin, smiling nervously as if to say she was going to live. "I'm new here, so to already be humiliated in front of someone so handsome . . ."

"Yeah," the beauty replied, reaching into her pocket and pulling out some wet tissues. She handed them to Sakura, smiling. "It must be overwhelming coming to a new school where everyone already knows each other. This napkin has an ointment that will get all of the make up off like cake!"

"Thank you," Sakura said shyly, and she was amazed as she watched all of the black come off. In just a few moments, she was back to her dull green eyes and unattractive, plain white skin. It was so pale . . . she _hated_ it. She turned when she noticed that the girl was fiddling through her bad again, and she quickly was taking out all kinds of face materials and lying them around the faucet. Some of them she hadn't even seen before.

"Now," she said, picking up a pink colored eye liner first, "Let's get that face back in order again!"

Sakura was surprised. All this for her, and she didn't even know her name yet? She was so pretty, and yet so nice at the same time! How wonderful . . . "Thank you!" she said again, though this time she had much more energy. "My name is Haruno Sakura. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

She smiled back sweetly. "Ino Yamanaka."

'_Ino,' _she repeated to herself, closing her eyes as she felt a pencil end trace her features. She would have to remember that name, and she hoped that someone so nice as her would be in her future classes. Who knows; she might have been in her second period!

The bell rang and she was late for her third period. In her mind she was tempted to go back up to the building top and look down at the cherry blossom trees with Naruto again. By now though, with no one else there, she expected he would be alseep. It would be rude to wake him, though she made a mental note to herself to go up after third period to check on him.

"Okay," Ino said. By that time Sakura felt powder on her face, but she had let up as she spoke. "I'm finished. Open up!"

Sakura did so, and was stunned. For once in her life, she actually felt like she looked beautiful. She had thick eyelashes from black mascara, but mostly she had a lot of pink; pink eye liner and very pink cheeks. Even her eye shadow was a shade of the same color! But somehow, it didn't look like a plain match; it brought out something that made her well up with pride.

"Your hair is so pretty, that bringing out your face with the same color was the perfect thing to do," Ino said, taking her hands and brushing back some strands out of Sakura's face. "All the light colors really bring out your eyes too; I've never seen ones so green!"

Sakura wanted to say thank you again, for a third time to Ino, and she did. She couldn't thank her enough! Just this one little thing made her feel better, and suddenly, she even felt a little confident. She just hoped she wouldn't get into any trouble with greedy men like before.

Ino suggested they get to third period, and she jokingly said she would use her to say she was guiding her to her next class. Sakura handed the taller of the two the paper with her schedule. "Oh, German. That's a tough langauge." She handed it back and at first she thought that Ino might not know anything about it, but she gave her a reassuring grin. "I'll get you there!"

As the two walked out, Sakura felt an arm tug at her again. She wondered who it could be since the halls were empty, but she was surprised to see Sasuke there, staring her down. For some reason, it looked like he was the one surprised instead of her. "Your face . . ."

"Um . . . yeah," Sakura replied nervously, putting some of her hair behind her ear; it fell back down, and instead she put her hands together in front of her. "I got a little fixed up. Do you . . . like it?"

She couldn't believe she had asked that, and to someone she barely even knew! With the way she asked, it almost sounded like she was flirting. A nervous sweat came over her, and she prayed it wouldn't mess up Ino's masterpiece. _'Really, I didn't mean anything by it,' _she thought, and she knitted her eyebrows unconciously.

He turned his face, though she wasn't sure why.

"It looks good."

'_Wow . . . was it Sasuke who just said that?' _She still felt butterflies, but she was very happy by what he said. Maybe he wasn't such a cold hearted person after all!

X x x x x

Ino! -Hugs her- I like her a lot, even though it seems like people don't like her too much in the manga. She's like Sakura in some ways- She hides her feelings under pride when it comes to Sakura. I like the way they were before they started this whole thing with Sasuke. So, that's how things'll be!

Is there even such a thing as pink mascara? XD I want some!


	7. Learning

**Chapter Seven**

"Sasuke!"

Something jumped between and literally tackled Sasuke to the ground, making Sakura jumped back a little. She quickly realized the something was none other than her new friend, Ino. She was smiling and her cheeks a deep shade of red as she clung around his neck. However, she wanted to giggle; Sasuke didn't look so pleased.

"Get off, Ino," he said in an irritated voice, which she obeyed quickly. When he got his chance to stand up, Ino looked over to Sakura.

"Is this the cute guy you were talking about?" she asked Sakura, remembering how the girl had mentioned being embarrased when a handsome boy saw her blackened face. Sakura panicked, her already pink cheeks turning darker. Why did she have to say that out loud? Even then, she nodded, trying to keep her eye contact to the ground.

Ino shrugged and turned to Sasuke. "Hey, you have German next, right?"

"Yeah?" he replied, giving her a look. "How did you . . ?"

She giggled. "First class member of your club, my darling!" He grimaced, but he waited for her to get to the point. "Sakura has the same class as you; you can take her to it, right? I'll just go to the office for a pass."

For a moment he wondered why in the world she would offer an opportunity for another girl to be alone with him. The two had known each other for years, and while he couldn't stand how much she obsessed over him like all the other girls, he could tolerate her much better. Still, she wasn't one to be so generous for others. Maybe it was because she was new?

Deciding not to go any further on the subject he nodded and she waved as she walked away to the office, leaving the other two in the triangle by themselves in the hall. Sasuke thought nothing of it, but Sakura was still worrying over how Ino said she called him cute. She also said that to Naruto . . . maybe she should learn to keep her mouth shut.

As the two walked down the hall together in silence, Sakura kept glancing over to him, yet at the same time trying to be subtle about it. She didn't want to annoy him, especially since he seemed to be someone who was annoyed easily. She was just going to keep quiet, stare at his beautiful visage and wish he were a nicer guy . . .

"You like German?"

She was so surprised she stopped, but even more so the voice from nowhere shocked her a bit since she had adjusted to the silence. Before it looked too stupid, she started to walk again, catching up to him. She nodded, then, knowing he probably wasn't looking at her, she spoke.

"Yes!" she said, hoping she didn't sound too awkwardly excited. Sakura didn't want to sound like one of those people who was trying to hard to get someone's attention. She didn't like it when other people did it, so she was sure he wouldn't want that. "I love languages . . . my last period last is French-"

"Two?" Sasuke interrupted, and for once he really seemed curious. She wasn't sure if he was curious because it sounded stupid, or that he was impressed that she was smart. Or, at least to her it sounded smart, to be in two AP language classes and enjoying it. But then again . . . What if he didn't like people who showed off their intelligence?

She nodded again, this time not speaking since he was looking right at her. For the first time, a thin smile appeared on his face. She wanted to turn away, but not because it was a hideous site; it was absolutely _gorgeous _on him. He needed to smile more often.

"I've never met someone else," he said in a soft voice, "Who took two language classes before . . ."

'_Else?' _She suddenly felt excited, like she had finally found something to break the frustrating wall between them. She didn't feel nervous about talking to him at all now. "Really? You also take French and German?"

"Yeah," he replied, and she also felt like his guard was also down as well. The smile was gone, but he did seem to speak more calmly. "Most people just want to get their credits in and get it over with."

"Yeah, I know what you mean! But I don't know why people don't enjoy it. Learning how to speak to people all around the world, learning their customs and why their speech is the way it is . . . it's really amazing, don't you think?"

'_Wow,' _Sasuke though, actually impressed. Truthfully, he didn't take two classes for the love of language, but this girl just seemed to light up, and they only just started talking about it. When she looked at him this time, he noticed something was different. It was the way Naruto looked at him; not at some perfect face, but . . . this looked like she really wanted to talk. As a person.

He didn't want to ruin this; it was so rare to have people like that, especially girls.

"Yeah," he replied, something rising to his pale cheeks. He turned his face so she wouldn't see it as he spoke. "People outside of Japan are so much different . . . It's interesting to learn about it."

"Different?" Sakura said, and once again he was curious of her opinion. She looked up at the ceiling, her index finger tapping her lip as if she were in deep though. She finally smiled. "Well, I guess so. I never thought of looking at what was different, but I guess it's always good to see the other side of things!"

Sasuke wondered. "You think of them as the same?"

"Well . . . yeah. I don't know, but something about that makes me think a lot too . . . Like, 'I wonder how we grew up.' With different languages, different foods, different customs, we still manage to communicate with each other."

For the rest of the walk to class, which wasn't much longer, the two didn't talk. But something about the atmosphere was rather comfortable. For the second time she had introduced herself to a new class, and while eyeing around she only recognized two people; Sasuke, of course, and that boy with the pointy hair tied back. He looked very bored.

This routine happened for the rest of the day, where the class would just ask her questions and she would answer them. She felt bad for those students who had to go through this several times a day. But in the end, she was happy to see that Sasuke had many classes with her, and he didn't mind talking to her so much now about school subjects. She later learned that Naruto and her had English second period together, as well as Gym and the three shared Japanese History together.

After school, she noticed Naruto and Sasuke talking next to their lockers. She had been given a lot of papers and books for the day; luckily for her, she was also excused from homework and only asked that she had forms filled out and materials covered. She smiled as they caught her eye and she waved.

"Hey Sakura!" Naruto greeted back, grinning widely. He hadn't seen her since fifth period, where he, Sasuke and Sakura shared Lunch together. "How was the rest of your day?"

"It was nice," she replied as she put her new books in her locker; the teachers said they wanted covers, but she would bring them to school so it would lighten the load. "A lot of the people are really helpful here."

"You didn't get into anymore trouble like first period, did you?"

Sakura saw a flash of protectiveness in his eyes, as if he truly were angry about it. It frightened her a little, thinking back to that brief moment, and she remembered how livid he was then as well. She was very glad, however, that she didn't get into trouble again. She liked Naruto better when he was laid-back. "No! None at all!"

"What happened?" Sasuke asked, and she was surprised to see he was actually inquiring about something from her personally. So far, the two only found a common passion in bookwork and when she had sat down from the class questionaires they would talk about it vaguely. He wasn't really much of a talker; more of a listener.

Naruto stuck out his tongue and pouted a bit when he spoke. "These assholes were hitting on her and made her cry." Then he smiled. "So I had to use some of my mad karate skills to knock 'em out!"

"It wasn't that dramatic . . ."

"Aw, c'mon Sakura!"

Naruto shut his locker at the same time as his friend and instinctively Sakura also closed hers, though it was much more quietly. She followed the two of them, noticing some of the same people looking at them and waving cheerfully. One of the people that stood out for her the most was Ino at her own cubbyhole, and coincidentally she was talking a bit with that black haired boy she saw in nearly all of her classes earlier.

"Who's that?" she asked as they walked by. Naruto was the one who answered while Sasuke only glanced at the direction the other two were looking in. "He's in a lot of my classes."

"That's Nara Shikamaru," he said. They didn't stay to stare of course, but he continued with his explanation. "He's some child prodigy or something. He's a always in a bad mood though!"

"A child prodigy?" Sakura inquired. "But he's sleeping in all of my classes."

"That's 'cause geniuses get to do whatever they want!"

"Not true," Sasuke said, a small smirk on his face. He spoke so rarely to Sakura that his words immediately caught her attention. His best friend also waited for an explanation. "Naruto almost _always_ sleeps in his classes, and he's no genius."

"_Hey_!" he shouted back defensively, though he ended up laughing with Sakura. He was very open about it, earning attention from other students who wanted to see what was going on about it while she covered her mouth politely. Even Sasuke's smirk turned into a small smile and as she saw a glimpse of it before it turned into a scowl her heart melted.

'_Wow,' _she thought as the three walked out of the building, _'He's so beautiful when he smiles . . .'_

Sasuke's home was in a completely opposite direction then the other two so it almost seemed like their parting was too soon. She really wanted to walk with the two of them, getting to know them better at the same time since they were so close. They both waved before saying their goodbyes and she inwardly sighed. _'I'll be able to see him tommorow.'_

X x x x x

Of course Sasuke's gorgeous when he smiles. XD All dark guys are! When I saw Sasuke smile in like, chapter Two-hundred-forty-something . . . -Melts- It was perfect! Gosh . . . lol!


	8. Questions

**Chapter Eight**

For a little while Sakura and Naruto walked together, and while they hadn't spoken to each other it was anything but awkward. He would sing to himself a little and she giggled as she listened, noticing how off key he was. He would glance at her and smile, sing a little louder and a little more off, and finally she burst into full-out laughter.

"I'm sorry!" she apologized, though her insides weren't feeling like apologizing in the least. "You just sound . . . so . . ."

"Awwww," he said sarcastically, though his baby blue eyes drooped. "You didn't like my singing?"

"Sorry, sorry . . ." she said, calming down a little. She thought she was fine when he tried to prove himself by singing louder, making her giggle louder. She noticed people in the neighborhood would look at them awkwardly, and he even earned a few looks from people looking out their windows. Suddenly she was curious of something. "How does Sasuke sing?"

"Oh him?" Naruto stopped his outlandish resonating and looking up at the sky. The sun was setting early, so it was almost as if a giant, shiny orange was sinking into the earth behind the homes. It was getting a little dark and she unconciously paced her walk. Finally he shrugged. "Dunno. I've known him a long time, but I don't think I've heard him- _wait_!"

Sakura jumped at his outburst but he didn't seem to notice. "Yeah! Sasuke's parents have made him sing in choir when he was little."

"Cool!" Sakura said with a cheeky smile. "Is he in it now?"

"Nope."

"Why?"

"He stopped when they died. Sasuke's parents are dead."

A shock resonated through her entire body when she heard Naruto speak. She couldn't believe it; Sasuke was an orphan? His parents were _dead_. Her eyes began to water; she felt so terrible, and even though she didn't want to ruin the make-up Ino had helped her with it didn't compare. She covered her face with her hands so Naruto wouldn't see. She hadn't even realized they stopped moving.

"They're . . . gone?" she said in a small voice. "Here I was, complaining about a divorce and his family is dead! I feel like . . . I feel . . ."

"Hey." Naruto wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a comforting hug. She was surprised, but she didn't feel threatened like she did with the boys in first period. Even though Naruto was shorter, somehow he felt so powerful holding her. "It's okay; it was years ago. And don't think it's bad to feel how you feel."

"But . . " she protested, her voice muffled in his chest. His shirt was wet with salty water. "I can't even imagine losing my parents. I . . . I should be happy that they're alive."

Naruto held the back of her head, his fingers intertwining a little with her cherry colored hair. His lips were at her forehead, and he was tempted to kiss it. Girls liked that sort of thing, right? It made them feel better . . .

But he didn't. He had a feeling Sakura wouldn't be so pleased; she was different. He gently held her back, his hands on her shoulders. The two were face to face, and he grinned widely. "Now, let's turn that frown upside down!"

Sakura couldn't help but giggle again, wiping away her tears. She looked silly with smudged make-up on her face and felt awful inside, but at the same time she couldn't help but chuckle; Naruto really was something, that was for sure. '_Entertaining, to say the least!'_

"Okay, see you tommorow!"

Watching as Naruto stepped up the stairs of his own house, Sakura stared deliriously as if she wasn't sure what was going on. She hadn't noticed they were right by their homes. He gave her a quzzical expression as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, then he shrugged and smiled. "Awww! Miss me already?"

Sakura snapped out of her trance and stuck out her tongue playfully. "You wish!"

He gave one last laugh before opening the door and closing it behind him. She had waved till then, but somehow, putting it back down was a problem. She honestly didn't want to leave that spot on the sidewalk; she wanted to stay there and wait for him to open the door again, just to flash a healthy grin.

'_This is stupid,' _she thought, frowning inwardly. She ignored the darkness for only a moment, contemplating within herself before turning to go in her own house.

All night Sakura was struggling to sleep through a loud, screeching voice. Her mother's shrill screams as she shouted into the phone ripped at her ears, even when she squeezed her fluffy pink pillows over them. She bit down on her lip and shut her eyes, trying to hold back tears and working her hardest on getting some sleep.

'_I won't cry,' _Sakura thought, blocking out the noise outside of her small, dark room. A vision of Sasuke flickered in her mind and she felt tainted with guilt. _'He must have a horrible life . . . Being alone . . . I should be happy I even have parents . . .'_

But for some reason, she wasn't happy at all.

This same thing happened every night, her mother always arguing with her father downstairs while Sakura tried to sleep. But when she was in school, she felt bubbly. Sasuke was also becoming sweeter, while Naruto stayed ever-so-cheerful. She was proud to call them her closest friends there. She hoped they were proud to call her theirs.

"Sakura . . ."

"Yeah?" She turned as she shut her locker, looking over to Sasuke. They didn't talk much, even after two weeks of her being there, but they were often together because of Naruto. When he did talk, however, he wasn't nearly as cold as when he acted with everyone else.

Sasuke turned his head and looked towards the ground as he leaned his shoulder against his own closed locker, his long bangs covering his face as he lightly scratched the surface of his nose. She didn't really understand what he was doing . . . his posture seemed a bit rigid compared to usual. She had quickly learned he was one to care for appearances.

She noticed him open his mouth only slightly, then closed it. This confused her more, but in an eager and excited way. She wanted to hear what he had to say.

"I . . ." he started, his voice sounding oddly nervous. She bent her knees a little to try and see his face and gasped as she saw him, thankful the crowd chattering around them was so loud. He was blushing! "I . . . I wanted to know if we could . . . go-"

"Hey guys!" Naruto shouted, making the both of them jump out of their skins. Sakura also had come to learn how modest Sasuke was an how . . . well . . . not so modest Naruto was. He jumped on his best friends' back, his arms wrapped around his neck. Before Sasuke could get a hold of the weight on him he fell to the floor right before Sakura.

"Whoops," Naruto muttered, though it sounded a little sarcastic. He grinned. "Sorry Sasuke. I couldn't help it!"

"You dumbass . . ." Sasuke muttered in a cold voice. At first Sakura was intimidated by him when he spoke in such a manner, but she knew now how the both of them worked. He sounded angry, ice cold, but Naruto's smiled melted that snowstorm in a second. He had the effect on her as well.

"What were the two of you talking about anyway?"

Remembering the red tainting his cheeks made Sakura blush as well and she turned a bit, not sure if she wanted the two of them to see. _'First of all, if Sasuke saw he would know that I knew I saw him . . . And if Naruto saw, he'd get the wrong idea and never stop teasing me!'_

"Ah, well, don't tell me." Sakura turned around again when she felt the heat in her face fade and saw that Naruto had finally gotten off of his friend. Sasuke was standing up, still looking rather angry. Usually people with such cold expressions weren't handsome in the least bit, their faces so stiff from being so emotionless. But Sasuke . . . He was gorgeous no matter what.

"So," she started, getting the attention from the both of them. She pulled a bit of her hair behind her ear as she smiled. "Shall we go?"

Naruto of course was the only one walking with her by the time they had reached their houses. For once she'd like to have Sasuke come with them, or she'd like to go to his own home to see what it was like. But it wasn't boring at all when he wasn't there. It was just as entertaining.

"So yeah, I got a detention slip because from Kakashi because I cheated on the science test." Naruto gave a wide smile. "But now I know all the answers thanks to Sasuke, so I can write them on my arm before I do the retake!"

"And how do you expect to outsmart Mr. Hatake?" Sakura asked, giggling.

"Ancient Chinese secret."

"You _dork_!"

"Not as much of a dork as you!" he said, jumping behind her and tickling her sides. She started laughing and squealed protests as she tried to pry his fingers off, but it was no use. He was bonier than her, but he was much stronger.

"Okay, okay," he finally said, stepping in front of her and holding up his hands as if to show he stopped. She was still laughing, her arms wrapped around her front to hold her stomach in. She had long dropped her book bag on the sidewalk. "I don't need to tickle you to get you to laugh anyway. You're a regular giggle box!"

She still couldn't reply, and they hurried over to sit down on the steps in front of Sakura's house. When she had calmed down enough, she smiled. Her sides were sore, but she didn't mind in the least. "You . . You're so funny, that's why!"

"Say . . ." Sakura perked up her ears but stared forward. For some reason, this tone sounded much like Sasuke's from earlier. It was unusual hearing it from Naruto. "Sometime later, do you . . . wanna go somewhere? Like, to a movie or something?"

Sakura's face for a second time that day turned a dark red. _'Is Naruto . . . Is Naruto asking me out?' _

X x x x x

Oh, dear . . . The conflicts are starting! XD


	9. Dependence

**Chapter Nine**

"Sakura, I-"

"Hey, Sasuke!" Sakura said in an extra-cheerful, almost fake manner. She closed her locker, and before she could even listen to Sasuke's reply she turned and waved. "Sorry, I've got to head to class to give Mr. Hatake something!"

"Wait a second!"

Sakura felt Sasuke's hand grab at her arm and she turned around instantly; she averted her eyes and looking out towards the hallway. Of all things to ask, she was hoping more than anything that he wasn't going to ask what she thought he was going to ask . . . _'I'm still so shaken up from Naruto!'_

"Just letting you know," Sasuke started, and she relaxed as he let go of her arm. It didn't sound like he was going to say what she thought it was. "Naruto isn't going to be here today; when I called him this morning he said he was coming down with something."

Sakura's heart sank; somehow, she just knew it was a lie. But instead of showing it, instead of making her friend worry she nodded and smiled. "Oh . . . okay. Thanks."

"But anyway . . . about yesterday, what I was trying to say to you . .. before Naruto came and-"

"Oh, _that_!" Sakura said, a red blush coming across her cheeks. Once again she turned around, begging that he wouldn't stop her for a second time. "Sorry, that'll have to wait; our class is gonna start any second now!"

Classes had passed by since then, and now she was in her fourth period. Sakura sighed again as she flipped her pencil around in her fingers, looking down at the sheet of paper before her. It was math; easy to do. But today she just didn't have the heart to complete her assignment. Her heart was still feeling heavy from the day before.

"_N-Naruto . . . Well . . umm . . . I'll see you tommorow, okay?"_

She closed her eyes and sighed again. _'See you Tommorow?' _That was the best she could come up with? It was so strange . . she felt so comfortable around Naruto, with the way he always made her smile and laugh. But she never thought of him as anything more than a friend. She was even scared of the mere idea of taking what she already had a step further.

And what was worse, she could remember Sasuke acting the same way. Yesterday and this morning she knew exactly what he wanted to say. She wasn't stupid; it sounded like she was being conceited just thinking about it, but she was sure that he liked her too. Not just as a friend, but . . . more. It was hard to believe, someone like that liking her.

Sakura shook her head, looking down at her problems then up at the clock. It was half-way through class and not a single problem done. She frowned, finally giving up and crossing her arms to use as a pillow. She just didn't have it in her to do her problems.

'_Naruto . . . Sasuke,' _she thought, closing her eyes. She begged that the teacher wouldn't notice, or at least she hoped she'd assume she was done already. _'I don't know what to say to either of you . . . I've never been in this situtation before.'_

She felt lucky that she had managed to avoid Sasuke so far. He had tried to talk to her in class a couple of times, even in the hall. She talk after class with Mr. Hatake and insisted that he go ahead, saying it would take a while before. During third period she just concentrated with all her might on the teacher. German wasn't hard, but it was the only strategy she could come up with.

'_That's it,' _Sakura thought, heaving one last sigh before nestling her head in her arms a little more, _'I'm going there to calm down.'_

And there she did go. Once fourth period was over and fifth period ready to begin Sakura darted through the hall as fast as she could to the rooftop. The sun had already risen, unlike tht one incredible time she was there with Naruto, but it was still a pretty sight nonetheless. She already felt better being there and stood near the edge, stretching her arms above her head as high as she could. "This is a much nicer place to think than any of my dumb classes!"

"You got that right."

Sakura turned around at the unfamiliar voice, so startled that she didn't realize she was still at the edge of the school until it was too late. Her face didn't even catch a glance at the person behind her before she slipped. She let out a small yelp, but was grateful to feel something tightly grip at her wrist.

Sakura's eyes closed tightly in panic when she fell, but she slowly opened them when she was sure she had been rescued to be greeted by narrow, brown eyes and a wide grin. He chuckled as he pulled her up. "Damn . . . that was close."

"I remember you . . ." Sakura said, looking down over the side of the building once she had sat down firmly on her legs. She gulped. Beautiful as it was, had she really fallen she would've been a goner. She scooted a little away from the edge then turned back to the boy. "You're . . . you're in my math class, right? This past period?"

"Yup," he replied, giving her a wide smile. Sakura was strangely reminded of Naruto with how wide and cheesy it was, but instead of a sweet and energetic smile his teeth revealed rather sharp and intimidating canines. Right below his eyes were two triangle shaped tattoos; she imagined it would've hurt to have a needle there of all places. "Kiba. Inuzuka Kiba."

She smiled. "Nice to meet you. And . . . thanks for helping me."

He laughed, almost like the whole thing was a big joke. She only managed to smile; it might be something to laugh about now that it's all over, she supposed. "No problem; it's a good thing I followed you, huh?"

"You followed me?" she asked. This didn't exactly make her happy. It was actually sort of creepy, especially with someone that had such a scary face.

Kiba nodded, as if it were normal. "Yeah, pretty much. It's 'cause I wanted to ask you something. Anyway, I ws wondering if you wanted to go to the movies or a place to eat sometime. You know, hang out with someone other than the idiot duo for a change."

Sakura blushed, looking down to try and cover it. For once she was glad her bangs covered her face. She didn't like how he had reffered to Sasuke and Naruto by, but she was a little too embarrassed to think of it too much. _'This is too weird . . . all of these guys suddenly liking me . . . But I've never talked to Kiba before; I didn't even really know his name until a minute ago!'_

"Umm . . ." she started in a small voice, averting her eyes but still looking up a little, trying her best to be polite. The highest she could raise her eyes was up to his chin, she so couldn't tell what his expression was at the moment. She had just noticed he was wearing a rather heavy jacket in decent weather; she wondered why. "It sounds nice . . . but . . . well . . ."

"_Dammit_!" he said, slamming a fist onto the roof of the school. She looked up completely this time, noticing how irritated he looked. She gulped; those canines somehow looked even sharper. "It's always that Sasuke; he gets _all _the girls!"

"Sasuke?" Sakura inquired curiously. Her cheeks were still burning, but she was a little too curious about it. Why just Sasuke? He had mentioned Naruto before too. _'How does he even know I hang out with them? I don't think Kiba and I have any other classes together than math, and neither Naruto or Sasuke are in it.'_

Kiba nodded, but he glared as if she should have known. "Yeah; that dumb bastard doesn't even try and every girl in the school goes after him like he's God."

The first thought that came to Sakura's mind was Yamanaka Ino, the girl she had met on her very first day of school. She had caught her a few times in the hall since then, all coincidentally when she was with Sasuke but otherwise they hadn't talked. She remembered how Ino had acted so happy around Sasuke. _'Is that what he's talking about?'_

Kiba didn't stop there. It almost sounded like he was getting started. "And that stupid dumbass, Naruto. All he does is talk about that dream of his; becoming the mayor of the town and making it a better place. He's such an idiot! _I_ could do better than _him_ at some lame job like that if I wanted to."

'_What?' _Sakura had two feelings welling up inside of her at the same time, and she wasn't sure which one to choose. One side was surprised to hear about this dream Kiba said Naruto was always talking about. She had never once heard it from him before in the time she knew him.

But the other feeling was becoming stronger. This side of her was angry; angry at the fact that this guy she barely even knew was putting down to people she had become closest too, the people that she knew she didn't _want_ to be put down. He didn't have the right!

Kiba's anger seemed to be rising with his words. "God, I hate both of them. One is a stupid prep and the other is just a plain idiot; how did they-"

Slap. Sakura's palm had struck the side of Kiba's cheek which had started to turn red. Anger over surprise. She didn't care who this guy was; Sasuke and Naruto were her friends, and no one was going to talk about them that way.

"Bitch!" Kiba felt his cheek with one hand, glaring at her furiously. "Whatever, screw this."

Sakura felt two strong hands grab at her shoulders, pushing her back down onto the rooftop, her head slamming onto it rather forcibly. She tried to move her arms but no matter how much strength she tried to put into them they weren't enough to defy Kiba. A butterfly fear rose in her chest and as she saw his face, she shut her eyes and turned her head.

"I won't let Sasuke take another girl . . ." she heard him mutter. She shivered when she felt his breath hover around her neck. " . . . Not when there's a guy like me here!"

Burning hot tears filled her eyes when she felt him nibble at her neck, and one of his hands was slowly trailing away from pinning down her arm to fiddling with the end of her shirt. She wanted to move then, anything to get away. Kiba's lips lifted only to kiss her cheek, and when she turned her head further to the ground she heard him growl in an irritated manner.

"What the _hell_!" he shouted, grabbing both her cheeks with one hand and jerking her face so she could see him. She opened her eyes, but it was hard to see through the watery substance. She could feel her lips quivering and how her body was almost melting into the rooftop. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't move.

He didn't seem the least bit fazed by her tears. Instead, he leaned in closer to kiss her, coming so dangerously close that she could feel him. Then . . .

Sakura's eyes shut again when she heard and saw something loud smash against the side of Kiba's head. She felt the grip he had on her immediately lessen and his body became limp, landing on top of her. She knew right away there wasn't a threat anymore, but still . . . She didn't want Kiba anywhere _near_ her, unconcious or not.

Shutting her eyes tighter and waiting to get the feeling back into her body, she was relieved to feel Kiba's weight being pulled off from on top of her. She took a deep yet unsteady breath, and when she could sit up the first thing she did was hold her hands to her face and cry more.

'_What just happened?' _Sakura began to think, wiping away at her tears, _'It was so scary . . . It could have been so much worse if . . . if . . .'_

Sakura began to remember that it wasn't her that stopped Kiba from making things go worse, but someone else. She tried her best to stop crying and opened her eyes slowly to catch her savior. She gasped. "Sasuke . . ."

There he was, kneeling right in front of her. But something was different. In the short time she knew him she had come to learn he rarely showed much for expressions other than the occasional smirk, but for the first time she saw something completely different; it was almost . . sympathetic. Concerned.

The moment they met eyes Sasuke averted his own. "I . . . I saw that you weren't in lunch. I asked the administrator for a pass to go to the nurse and came here, because . . . you looked kinda of . . . sort of bothered about something . . ."

Sakura didn't know what to say. Here she was, trying to get away from everyone, and one of the two people she had been reluctant to see the most was right in front of her; he _helped _her.She glanced over to Kiba again and shivered, then slowly she reached out her arms and tugged on Sasuke's shirt, pulling him in. She waited until she felt his arms around her before she started to cry again.

'_Sasuke . . .' _Sakura thought, clinging to the cloth in her hands, _'You're different from Kiba; I can trust you . . . I'm sorry . . . I'm sorry . . .' _

X x x x x

Ack! No, Kiba! I remember when I wrote this I still hadn't seen the manga, and I only read the first four volumes of Naruto. I didn't even know Kiba that well! Still, I think I did pretty well. Except Kiba wouldn't do that, but this is a story! Guys are gonna act funny. :D lol!


	10. Comfort

**Chapter Ten**

"Sasuke, you really don't need to walk me home," Sakura said, smiling sweetly. For the rest of the day, Sasuke had kept a very watchful eye on her. Any man who came near her was an enemy in his eyes; part of her was embarrassed from the looks she got from boys and jealous girls alike, but the other half of her was very happy.

Sasuke turned his face in the other direction as they walked, staring out towards the street. "I'm fine walking you home."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

There was a silence between them then, and Sakura wasn't sure what to say. The first thing that came to mind was the fact that he liked her. Naruto liked her. And Kiba . . . well, she wasn't exactly sure about him. But the problem was that even though she didn't much like the third candidate, the first two were so good to her. She tapped on her lip as she looked up at the sky and walked. _'I only like them as friends . . .'_

Her eyebrows knitted as she thought intensely about the situation. _'Both Sasuke and Naruto are good friends. Naruto is always fun and makes me laugh, while Sasuke makes me feel safe and taken care of . . . They're always so nice to me. I guess . . . I wouldn't mind going out with either one, but . . .' _

Sakura stopped in the street and looked down at the crevices in the sidewalk, frowning deeply. _'It's not fair. Not to Sasuke or Naruto. I'd feel like I was doing something wrong, going behind the others' back. They're best friends! I wonder if they even told each other about this. If they didn't . . . this could get a lot worse.' _

"Sakura?" Sasuke called, and she looked up. He was standing right in front of her, and as she looked around at the scenery, she realized they were right in front of Naruto's house. He must have mentioned to Sasuke that she lived right there. She glanced across the street for a second to see her own home. She was lucky to stop right there for conviences' sake, but at the same time . . .

Not even answering a reply to her friend Sakura sat down on the steps in front of Naruto's house, sighing. She didn't want to go home now; not to all that arguing, not when there was so much to think about. She would suffocate in there with everything she had on her mind. _'And everything in my mind involves Sasuke and Naruto . . .' _

"Sakura . . ." Sasuke said her name again, and this time she looked up. He shuffled his feet and found a seat next to her, sitting comfortably close. He rested his elbows on his knees and looked forward as he spoke, his fingers locked together. "If there's anything that's bothering you . . . you can talk about it. Is it about Kiba?"

'_Sasuke's always so considerate,' _she thought to herself, smiling. She let her head rest on the wall that framed the stairs, closing her eyes. "No, it's not that . . . I don't want you to worry. It's something . . . Something that I wouldn't feel right telling you."

"Telling me?"

"I feel like if I did . . . I'd be going behind Naruto's back."

Sakura opened her eyes and looked to Sasuke to see if there was a reaction of some sort; she didn't want him to be hurt by this. She noticed a hint of surprise on his face, but nothing like pain. She inwardly sighed of relief, but became curious as those features faded away and it became something different . . . It was almost a hardened expression, a determined one.

"Is that it?" she heard him mutter, his eyes looking down. Sasuke didn't understand it; something inside felt angry. Of course, Naruto was his best friend and the three were always together, but . . . didn't she see him as his own person? He didn't know her long, but he was sure . . . she was different than those other girls. _'But Naruto . . . I want to say it, but . . .'_

Before he could even control what he was saying the words flew from his mouth. "We can keep it a secret. We don't have to tell him."

The silence between them straight away became uncomfortable; both were surprised. Neither one could believe that he had actually said something like that out loud. How far was Sasuke actually going for Sakura? So far that he'd go behind the back of the one person he knew all his life? Was it really . . . worth it?

Immediately regretting his words, Sasuke turned his face in the other direction as he stood up. He really didn't want to look at her and see her face. "Sorry . . . I'll just go home now."

Sakura closed her eyes completely, forcing them shut until she could no longer hear his footsteps on the sidewalk. Right now, she was feeling low. Not upset, not disheartened, but low. Incredibly low. She brought her hands to her face and for the second time that day she cried, but not for herself.

'_This sucks,' _she thought, wiping the make-up from her face off onto her sleeve and sniffling heavily. _'What am I doing? All I wanted was to be their friends! At this rate they're going to hate each other . . . They're going to end up hating me . . .' _

Someone from a window had watched everything, his ears once perked in curiosity. Now his eyes glowered with rage.

"Akamaru!" Kiba cheered as he busted the door open, his arms spread wide and his mouth a large grin. A tiny white puppy with black spots on it's ears and a wide mouth yipped and hopped into it's owners' arms. Kiba squeezed the little dog tightly, rubbing his cheek against its' nose with affection. Quickly it made its way into his coat, sitting comfortably as if it had always been there.

Inuzuka Kiba rarely ever went home; it's not that he didn't enjoy it, he was just fine being scolded for goofing off in class as long as he knew his parents loved him. His smile grew even wider as he sniffed the air around him, looking at a hard solid ground that unfortunately had damp yellow spots all over the place. Tall, chain-like cages with loud barking and hissing bounced over the echoing walls, and yet he couldn't be any happier.

"I'm back!" he called out, scratching Akamaru's head. There was only one door amongst the many in the animal shelter that didn't lead to dogs, cats or rabbits; that was the office room, and as he took a peek in the open room he saw shy eyes look over to him. "Hey, Hinata."

"K-Kiba . . ." she replied in a small voice, standing up from the chair. She averted her eyes and frowned, fiddling with her fingers. "Sorry . . . I . . . I was just taking a break."

Kiba waved it off with a laugh. "Naw, it's okay. We can get to work later; besides, it's volunteer stuff! You're cleaning dog shit for free."

He was hoping this would get a laugh out of his old friend, but unfortunately all she could manage was a smile so small he could barely see it. He sighed as he came in, sitting down in one of the three chairs across the main desk of the office. He patted the one she had been sitting in previously, slightly warm, and she obeyed.

Of course, everyone knew each other in this neighborhood for the most part ever since they were little. But, just as Sasuke knew Naruto personally and girls like Ino were closer to other students like Chouji and Shikamaru, Kiba knew Hinata better. There was another friend in their little circle, but even after all the years he still wasn't sure what to think of him. _'Shino never talks . . .'_

Hinata brought up the courage to speak; with Kiba, it was easier than with other people. "Kiba . . . is something . . . bothering you?"

Without even realizing it his face had turned from cheery to sullen. He at first looked to Hinata, whose face was solely concerned, then down to Akamaru who whimpered. He sighed heavily. "I've been suspended for two weeks. Sasuke told the teacher we got into a fistfight."

"Oh!" Hinata turned her face closer, her fingers lightly resting on Kiba's cheeks. "Are you o-okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bump on my head, that's all." His face went from sweet to serious as he looked off in the other wall. "I know I was pissed then, but seriously . . . I've had time to think about it. I deserved to be hit."

Hinata didn't say anything but kept her hands over her chest, listening. These were rare moments where Kiba was so serious. "Sasuke knocked me out because . . . well, you know Haruno Sakura, right? That new girl? She's been here a couple of weeks."

Nodding, Hinata waited for him to continue. She remembered Sakura was in a few of her classes. "Well, I sort of . . . made a move on her. A pretty big one, and . . . Now I just feel like an idiot."

This made Hinata a little curious. "Do you like her?"

Kiba made a small smile; he was glad she didn't ask him to go into further detail. Then again, Hinata was never one to make people uncomfortable. "Kind of. I only talked to her the one time, but in class I thought she was nice. Pretty cute too, and she doesn't hang all over boys like that _pig_ Ino."

The two snorted together at Ino's little nickname; they really didn't mind her, but at times being with her for an extended period of time was just unbearable. The mood somehow felt instantly lighter for the both of them. Hinata relished such a dearly close moment, so absorbed in it she was startled when Kiba pulled her into a friendly hug.

"Actually, it almost sounds like I'm talking about you!" he said, laughing a little. Her eyes became wide as he said it, and her cheeks began to burn with embarrassment and cheer. Her body became limp against his chest, but she made sure not to crush Akamaru, even if she was rather comfortable in her friends' arms. " . . . Thanks a lot for listening."

He let go of her, and the two exchanged mutual smiles before he stood up and said he had to clean the dog cages. She stood as well, saying she had to work on the cats. "Shino . . . He promised he would be here to help later."

"That's cool," Kiba replied shrugging. "Guess we can all head out for pizza after this. It'll give me an excuse to avoid the house for a few more hours!"

Hinata giggled. "Yeah . . ."

Sakura had no choice but to go back in her room to finish her tears. She leaned against the wall while sitting on her bed, her pink fluffy covers warming her legs. She felt at least a little better by crying all of her feelings out for a while, but in a way it didn't seem enough. She really wanted to talk about it with someone. She frowned. _'Anyone but Sasuke and Naruto . . .'_

After a moment more she remembered she had gotten the phone number of another person she was slowly becoming friends with a few days before. She didn't want to talk about every little detail, but if she just got the message across to her, then everything would be okay. _'I'm sure of it.' _

Sakura picked up the phone on the desk next to her bed and slowly began to dial the number that was on a small slip in her other hand. As she held it, she waited patiently while the other side ringed only a few times before someone on the other line finally picked up. "Hello?"

"Hello," Sakura started, a little bit of cautiousness in her voice. She hadn't called before, and she wasn't sure what to say exactly. "Is Yamanaka Ino there?"

"Sakura?" the voice on the other line said. Almost instantly Sakura smiled, feeling lucky that she didn't have to go through the trial of a mother or father. "Hey! What's up?"

"Can I talk to you about something?"

She wasn't sure what Ino's expression was; smiling for helpful, or scowling for a no? Maybe she looked confused . . . Sakura could hear the rustling sound of plants in the background as she waited for an answer, but was quickly given relief. "Sure! What's on your mind?"

Sakura took in a deep breath, wondering how she was going to form her words. She didn't want to lie . . . Hopefully Ino wouldn't catch on. She remembered her saying that she had a big crush on Sasuke in particular. "Well . . . I feel like I'm caught up in some sort of drama. There are a couple of . . . guys at school who like me, and I feel really bad. They're friends and I don't want that to be ruined because of me."

"Oh," Ino replied. She sounded very understanding, like she was taking it all in. "It sounds really bad for them . . . but probably worse for you. In a weird way though, I sort of envy you!"

"Envy?" Sakura said with a small giggle. Already she was feeling better; something about Ino lit up a conversation and just made her feel better. "How?"

"Oh, come on . . . _two_ guys liking you! It sounds so romantic! Are they hot?"

Sakura blushed as she thought of both Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke was definitely as gorgeous as a boy could get, no doubt about it. Naruto was . . . well, he wasn't bad looking. Not at all. He was actually very cute to her, but at the same time he didn't have that same glow as his best friend. Still . . . "I guess so! Yeah!"

Ino squealed over the phone in girlish excitement. "Ooooh! Girl, you're so _lucky_! I say get with them both!"

Sakura's heart sank, even if Ino started laughing afterwards as if it were a big joke. That wasn't the advice she wanted at all. Not that she was looking for advice at first, but now that they had gotten the ball rolling . . . Well, she did get what she wanted. She told someone else about her feelings, and everything felt much better.

"Sakura? You there?" Ino called. Sakura fell out of her trance.

"Yeah!" she replied quickly, unconciously straightening up like she was being drilled. "Sorry . . . I was zoning for a minute."

"That's okay. Hey, I think I know someone who can help you out. He's a lazy dork, but still . . . he good with solving stuff. Maybe he can get things settled between you and everything."

"Really! Who!" Sakura was excited about this. She would do anything to get some real help!

"He's a friend of mine, Nara Shikamaru. Know him?"

X x x x x

Things are starting to get more complicated. And it's Shikamaru to the rescue! He's sexay. I luv him. -heart- lol!


	11. Threats

**Chapter Eleven**

"So, it's okay to keep secrets from me, right?"

Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, his best friend. They were standing by the lockers, getting ready for the new school day. But something was different; for once Naruto didn't seem happy or excitable like usual. His eyes looked truly livid. Sasuke thought back and remembered what he had said yesterday, and suddenly he felt panicky, though he tried his best not to show it.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sasuke replied, turning his back and opening his locker. Lying was the only idea he could come up with on such short notice. He spoke cooly, but on the inside questions were racing. _'How did he know? Who told him?'_

"Don't lie," Naruto bluntly said, speaking while also opening his locker. "I heard you and Sakura yesterday, through my window."

Great. He was caught.

"Well, it's not like we're stuck together," Sasuke retorted, becoming annoyed. He pulled out a book and put it in his bag. "I have my own life too. It doesn't always involve you."

"Then why didn't you say that? You didn't have to say it like you were keeping some sort of secret. Besides, what kind of spot would that put Sakura in? She's stuck between us. I . . . I really like her a lot, and I don't want to see her cry like the way you made her yesterday."

"Cry?" Sasuke snapped, turning his face. Now he felt no need for distractions. What did Naruto mean when he said he made her cry? And he _liked _her? Since when? This was starting to really run through his head for some reason. Since when did he feel so short-tempered so quickly? "You know, you're acting even more of an idiot than usual."

"And you're acting more like a jerk than usual," Naruto muttered. Both slammed their lockers at the same time. Instead of walking together they tried to walk separate, and the two were so wrapped up in whatever small feud they were having that they didn't even wait for the last one involved.

Sakura rushed to her locker, panting a bit as she hastily opened it. She was late. Really late! She spent almost half the night talking to Ino, and now she was really paying for it. She was having so much fun, just talking and laughing and joking around with another girl that she never even noticed what time it was when she hung up. Now this morning she was feeling the pressure, a little distressed and out of schedule from it. She was hoping this wouldn't happen often.

"Come on," she muttered. She kept spinning the dial to open it, but the quicker she moved it the more it didn't seem to work. Was it _trying_ to make her late? She really didn't want to have any tardies; if she did, her mother and father would both question her responsibility, even if it was just once. Ever since they started fighting a year ago, they never paid attention to her unless she did something wrong.

"I'll get it for you," a voice behind her said, and she turned to see Kiba standing there with a grin on his face. Her body tensed and she unconciously stepped closer to her locker until she couldn't get any more near it. He had the same smile from yesterday, and because of those events she was rather intimidated by him. He suddenly averted his eyes and rubbed the back of his head out of habit. "Look, Sakura . . . I'm sorry about yesterday. Really, I am."

"You . . ." she began to say. Of course, no normal girl would be convinced so easily that she would already be feeling calmer, but seeing such a brutally honest expression on his face made her think otherwise. She was almost reminded of how easy it was at times to read Naruto. "You are?"

"Yeah, so . . . can we start over or something?"

She wasn't exactly sure what to say, and she barely noticed as other students were filing into their classrooms when the late bell rang. The events from yesterday filled her mind, and that made her unsure. But at the same time, Kiba looked like he really meant it. If he did . . . Sakura held out her hand and he grinned as he took it, shaking. "Haruno Sakura. But, you know that already."

"Yup," he replied as she stepped out of the way of her locker. He quickly asked her for a combination and he started to work on it, all while talking. "Inuzuka Kiba. But, you know that already too. And I mean it, I'm really sorry."

"It's . . . It's okay, really. Forget about it." Not exactly true, but at the same time why start off this sort-of new friendship on the wrong foot? The only way to make it better was to forgive and forget. Besides, it's not like he got that far anyway. She smiled, glad his back was turned. _'He didn't even steal my first kiss!'_

After only a moment Sakura's locker was open and she could finally get her things, though she wasn't so worried now that she was actually going to be late. Worrying about what's already come sounded a little pointess to her. She thanked Kiba, and his smile widened. But at the same time, now it felt a little awkward.

Where _do_ two new friends start off? Especially when the way they really started wasn't really a good way to start? Plus, they were both breaking the rules and standing in the hallway during class. Not that it was too troubling; Sakura skipped class already a few times in the past couples of weeks to go to the roof, something she never would have done before.

Finally, Kiba broke the awkward silence. "Anyway . . . do you wanna hang out after school? As friends. I work at an animal shelter, and girs love to the come there." Sakura's eyes lit up at the thought of being after to see little animals. No doubt, he was right; baby puppies, kittens and bunnies were too cute! "But it won't be a date! Seriously. Hinata and Shino'll be there too."

Sakura vaguely caught the two names but dismissed them among the excitement of going to an animal shelter. But at the same time she frowned, knowing full-well she had other plans. After all, she and Ino didn't just talk about nothing all night. She saw Kiba's disheartened expression and smiled, trying to make up for it.

"I really want to go!" she started, hoping to make him feel at least a little better. "But, I'm supposed to meet Ino and Shikamaru. They're supposed to . . . help me with some problems."

"Oh, about Sasuke and Naruto? Those jerks."

Sakura remembered how Kiba seemed to aboslutely hate Naruto and Sasuke very much during their last encounter, but with the way he guessed things so quickly almost seemed unreal. It was like something bad was going on now and he knew every detail of it. Perhaps he was just one of those oberservant people. Sakura giggled to herself at the thought. _'Kiba just doesn't seem pretty smart!' _

"Dunno why'd you hang out with Ino though," Kiba continued on, and she was feeling a little annoyed on the inside about how he seemed to hate_ all_ of her friends. "Thatpig is such a snot, especially when it comes to Sasuke; if any other girl likes him she'll practically kill 'em."

'_Really?' _Sakura thought. That was interesting at least. Never once had she thought of Ino as a bad person; it was really fun to be with to her. But then again, as Kiba said, she would only supposably go after girls who were in love with Sasuke, just like her. She heard rumors, but how he said it made it seem definite.

Kiba shrugged as he turned around, though his head was still turned to talk to her for just a bit longer. "Shikamaru's cool though; he lets me copy off of his papers in math when Shino says I can't." He flashed another grin and waved. "See you later!"

'_Oh well,' _Sakura thought as she waved a small goodbye herself, closing up the bookbag she had open to put her things in. Kiba was without a doubt someone who was a lot of trouble. But at the same time, he was sort of cool. She remembered the two names he said before. _'Shino and Hinata . . . I wonder what his friends are like.' _

For the whole day in all of the classes she was with Sasuke and Naruto, she noticed something strange between them, something she'd never seen before with the two; they actually looked . . . angry at each other. And she wasn't the only one who noticed how when they glanced in the same direction their heads would turn in the opposite, or how they seemed to refuse talking to each other. Then there was the fact that she didn't know what in the world had happened.

And even worse than that was everyone thought she knew. People she didn't even know, some outside of her classes were approaching her and asking her what in the world was going on between them. It became so much that she was tempted to skip one of her classes to hang out on the roof again, but she decided against it since she already missed a class yesterday.

Still, no student stood out as much as one in particular. It was mostly girls who asked him and the occasional boy, but this guy . . . he just plain _scared_ her. Everything about him creeped her out, from his sudden out-of-nowhere approach to just his feel, his aura. He came from behind her in the library during her lunch period when she was looking at a few books.

"What happened to Uzumaki and Uchiha?" a dark voice said behind her, making her freeze just as she was putting a book back on the shelf. She didn't even want to turn around with this one; it was barely half way through the day and she was just annoyed with how many people were coming to _her _instead of Naruto and Sasuke, but something said that if she didn't comply she would be in trouble.

When she turned she saw a boy who was at least a head taller than herself with all-over-the-place but short red hair, and ghostly pale skin. His eyes were cold and ice blue, standing out magnificently with the thick eye make-up he wore. He dressed in all black, his fingernails painted the same color and chains and zippers plastered everywhere one could look on his shirt and pants, more for decoration than anything. What was most noticeable was the tattoo on his forehead, which read 'love'. She wanted to giggle, but at the same time she didn't dare.

"What happened to Uzumaki and Uchiha?" he repeated, his face staying exactly the same. He was practically emotionless, unreadable. Sakura really didn't want to give him the same answer she had bee giving everyone else, but . . .

"Y-You see," she started, laughing a little in a nervous sort of way. How to word it? "I really don't know myself . . . I haven't been able to talk to them at all-"

The boy slammed a hand onto the shelf, startling her and cornering her. His eyes became angry, but he stilled looked the same. She could just _feel _it. "Liar. What happened?"

"I really don't know!"

"You-"

"_Gaara_!"

Both turned their heads to see two more students, a girl with blonde hair, some parts of it bound up at the sides and the other a rather big-boned, strong looking boy with dark marks on his face like tattoos. They both dressed the same way as the boy named Gaara did, only it seemed just a little less extreme for some reason. It was the girl who spoke, and Sakura was thankful.

"Temari . . . Kankuro," Gaara said softly.

Temari approached the both of them, almost ready to pry Gaara away when he swung his arm at her; she backed away, giving him an expression that begged him to stop while trying to look strong at the same time. With that he complied and backed away from Sakura; she wanted to heave a sigh, but she also didn't want attention drawn to her.

"Gaara, stop threatening people when it's not needed," the girl said. He gave her a strong glare, but she continued. Sakura was surprised the two seemed so familiar with him, yet by their expressions they were obviously just as afraid. "There wasn't any point to that."

"We can just see Naruto or Sasuke," Kankuro said, turning to walk away. "She isn't a part of your stupid obsession."

"_Stupid_?" Gaara repeated. Now that Sakura wasn't part of the focus and only a viewer, she didn't feel nearly as intimidated, though she knew she should. It was almost silly. Just how dark could this boy be? Sakura noticed Gaara reach into one of his baggy pockets to pull out a small knife, something just tiny enough that the teachers would never know. "Shut up or I'll kill you both."

Sakura gulped, her heart beating quickly. _'This guy . . . he's serious!'_

Kankuro helped up his hands, trying to smile while giving up any argument they were having instantly. "Sorry, sorry . . . We'll go now, alright?"

"Fine."

Sakura didn't dare move until the three were out of the library, and when she did move she trembled. It was just something. _'Gaara . . . who is he? And what connection does he have with Naruto and Sasuke?' _

X x x x

Yeay, Gaara! The last chapter I wrote before going on hiatus, and I'm pretty proud of myself. :D Well, Gaara's cool! I'm glad people liked him this way.


	12. Warnings

**Alright, finally! My hiatus from this series is off. I don't know how often I'll update it, but I will finish it, and I won't _not _update for as long I did before this. I was grounded though! I couldn't help it! Still, I hope this chapter was worth the wait. :D **

**Chapter Twelve**

"_What!_" Both Sasuke and Naruto said to Sakura. The three were at their lockers, ready to leave for school when she finally was able to get a chance to say she wasn't coming with them. She frowned at their expressions; she was glad they seemed upset about it, but didn't they have bigger problems to sort out between themselves before worrying about her?

"I'm going to hang out with Ino and Shikamaru," she said like it was obvious. "I'm meeting them outside of school by this really big cherry blossom tree. You know, the one next to the trailers?"

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked. He averted his eyes, trying to find the exact words he was going to use. He just really wanted her there; today in particular. "I mean . . . can't you go with them another time? Because . . . well . . ."

"I don't want to walk home with this dumbass," Sasuke said outright, making Naruto fume in response and Sakura pout. After that she sighed, shutting her locker and trying to be a little more defiant with her gestures. Those two . . . she had heard that they never once fought before in their entire lives! They had to get over their stupid problem.

"You guys," she started, giving the both of them strong glares, "Figure your problem out yourselves. Until then I'm not going to get in the middle of it."

As she left, the both of them couldn't help but feel guilty. They didn't dare tell each other this because of a feeling of pride, but at the same time it was more than obvious. Sakura to them was always sweet, fun, and although a little louder around them she was quiet to people she didn't know. For her to be so . . . well, cold, there had to be a problem.

The both of them without a word shut their lockers and began to walk down the hall themselves, out the door and onto their own route without another word. It was a little while off before the two had to part ways, and through that they were both contemplating to themselves.

'_Sakura must really have an effect on me,' _Sasuke thought, looking down towards the ground with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He was thinking deeply, over-analyzing like he often did. _'I don't feel anything tense right now. But still, it's not my fault. I just want her to see me as my own person. I'm not Naruto's rival- he shouldn't compare right now. I can stand on my own just fine.'_

Naruto was on the exact same subject, though his thoughts were quite a bit different. _'Sakura . . . I really like her! But Sasuke likes her too . . . he's never been this way to another girl before. Still, that doesn't give him the right to go behind my back and keep secrets. He's my best friend! Hasn't it always been that way?'_

The two seemed to meet eyes as they dared each other to look up, then they immediately turned their head in the opposite direction, their more impatient, angry side showing. However, neither one had much time to stand put in their childish ways; someone was coming and the both of them could easily sense it.

They stopped where they were, bending their knees and standing back-to-back while waiting for a fight. The two may have been in a so far day-long-argument, but when it came to their training they were always best together as a team than by themselves. That's how it always worked.

"Who do you think it is?" Sasuke asked quickly, observing the area around them. They weren't quite into the area where Sakura and Naruto lived yet, but on the outskirts of it where there was a small wood on both sides of the road. "Kakashi?"

"Might be," Naruto replied. Neither one was showing any anger to the other at the moment, and they kept their voices low. It was always best not to really talk at all if they could help it; they could concentrate better that way, or that's what they had been told. He smirked. "He always likes to play these kinds of tricks to keep us on our feet."

"Wrong," a voice said, and the two boys looked up to see someone jumping down at them from the woods. They were coming down at a lightning fast speed and the sun glared in their eyes. They separated, stepping away from where the enemy was going to land then readied themselves to attack together at both sides. Seeing who the person was however made them stop.

"Gaara," Naruto said seriously, putting down the fists he had raised. He didn't want to fight him; he knew just how powerful Gaara was, and when he turned to Sasuke he also dismissed his will to fight. But still, there wasn't any reason for him to be here. What did he want?

Gaara put on a thin smile, one that was deathly cold. "You weren't prepared."

"Prepared?" Sasuke repeated. Instead of back-to-back, the two were side-by-side to face Gaara. "What are you talking about? We were just fine."

Naruto agreed, crossing his arms and nodding fervently. "Yeah, yeah! Sasuke and I train all the time, almost every day. We haven't slipped at all!"

"Then what about this?"

Naruto barely realized and it took a second to snap out of his trance as Gaara swung forward. He nearly tripped over his feet as he fell back, leaning as far as possible to miss Gaara's fist. However, Naruto felt something sharp cross his cheek and when he was steady he felt there. His fingers traced with blood. "Wait, that wasn't a fist . . ."

Gaara held up his hand. A knife. Naruto fumed, not worrying about the cut in the least. "Hey, what's your problem! That was really uncalled for!"

Gaara didn't seem to regret his attack in the least, putting both boys on a cautionary alert in case he were to strike at them again. But he didn't attack at all; he just stood where he was, watching them with his cold eyes. "But I thought you said you weren't slipping."

'_He has a point,' _Sasuke thought, glad that he wasn't the one given the surprise attack. He glanced to Naruto, who looked like he wasn't sure what to say back and he felt nothing. No anger at the moment, at least. His focus, at least for now, had changed. He turned back to Gaara. "Okay. What do you want?"

"Do you want to fight again?" Naruto asked, continuing Sasuke's questions. His expression went from unsure to solid. "There's no way we're gonna accept that. You play dirty."

And that was true. Sasuke and Naruto had trained together under their master, Kakashi, ever since they were young. They'd learn to fight with honor and skill, swiftness and power. Gaara, however, was the one person in the neighborhood nobody dared to take on. He didn't train or learn; all of what he did, he did on his own, and that's what made him so dangerous.

Finally, Gaara decided to answer their question, but it was much different than what they had expected. As he spoke, he relaxed his shoulders and turned his back like he was ready to walk away. He kept his eyes locked on them. "Both of you . . . Worry more about that girl than yourselves and you'll have a reason to worry about her. She's making you lose your grip."

The two just stood there as he left, leaving those as his departing words. Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other, their anger currently subsiding as they were trying to register what Gaara had said. That girl? Who was he talking about? But then again, they both had the same girl on their minds, the same girl they'd been in an argument about the whole day. When they realized it, they both tensed.

"Sakura!" Naruto said, a panic in his eyes. He looked away from his old friend and out in the direction where she and he lived, where he was originally walking towards before being interrupted. "He's gonna do something to Sakura!"

"No doubt," Sasuke replied, his mind already in deep thought. He rested his elbow in one hand and bit the thumb of the other as he concentrated his mind, his body weight leaning to one side. _'And this isn't an empty threat . . . What Gaara says, Gaara'll do. He doesn't play around.' _

He put his arms to his side and looked to Naruto. "Where's Sakura now?"

"Remember?" Naruto replied, now swiftly turning his head to look to the school. "She's with Ino and Shikamaru . . . Maybe even one of their houses by now."

With that realization they both sighed of relief, but on the inside they were still concerned. Gaara wouldn't even think of trying either of their homes since they weren't involved, and Shikamaru was pretty smart. If he wasn't much of a fighter, he was one hell of a thinker. He could keep Sakura safe until things worked themselves out.

"With that problem solved," Naruto began, linking his fingers behind his head and starting forward, "I'm going home and eating ramen. You wanna com-" his expression flattened, as if he remembered they were fighting. But even though he looked annoyed, he also seemed a little disheartened. "No . . . wait . . . you should probably go home."

"Home?" It also took a moment for Sasuke to remember where they were in their relationship. He seemed a bit saddened by it as well, but as they walked they had already met the crossroad where they had to part. He turned in his direction, not even waving. "Yeah . . . right. See ya."

Naruto stood where he was, watching Sasuke. Somehow it just didn't seem right. This mood here . . . it didn't feel worth it at all. When he spoke, it was in such a small, inaudible voice that even he could barely hear it. " . . . See ya."

Sakura looked around outside for Ino, excited that she was finally gonna meet her problem-solver but at the same time feeling terrible about what had just happened. For the first time since she had met them she had practically blown them off completely, not even caring about what they thought. She just hoped that the situation would be cleared soon enough. _'And unfortunately they've gotta to that themselves.'_

Feeling a little better about it, or at least as better as she could be she began to look around for her friend. And she was just where they had said they'd meet. By the school and trailers there was an incredibly huge cherry blossom tree, one that was so old that it had legends about it, and students even hung their wishes on a string there during New Years. Ino was standing under it, and a boy she had instantly recognized from her classes. _'Wow . . .'_

"Sakura!" Ino shouted energetically, running to her and giving her a girlish hug which Sakura returned. Already any problems she was feeling before melted away, just like when they had talked on the phone last night. She just had that effect somehow, and it made her pleasing to be around.

When Ino let go they hurried over by the cherry blossom tree, where the third member of their little party had decided to stay and wait. Ino proudly gave him a small hug as well as if she were greeting him for the first time in a while, which he returned by giving her an agitated look. The two shared a short converation for a bit while Sakura watched, and she giggled as their talking turned to bickering. It was cute. Almost at if they were brother and sister.

"_Any_ways!" Ino exaggerated, cutting off their conversation. She looked to Sakura, but pointed to the other. He was a little taller than the both of them, about average, with beady black eyes and long, black hair. However, it wasn't the least bit feminine; when pulled back the way he had it, it didn't seem so in the least. "Sakura, this is Nara Shikamaru."

X x x x x

So, was it worth it? I hope! Sasuke and Naruto obviously want to be friends again, but now they're just being guys. XD Stubborn. Lol, just playing! And Gaara's got something up his sleeve . . . I hope I portrayed him okay! I think all of the characters are just a tiny bit out of character, but not extreme, you know?

To get back in the feel of the story I had to re-read all of what had happened last night. And you know what? I'm proud of this story! It's good:D Not to sound cocky, but I'm glad to say that I wrote this story. I hope everyone else feels as good about this as I do!

Diamond Skye- lol! Well, I started liking the idea of Shikamaru and Temari during their fight at the Chuunin Exam, and if you look at the latest chapters of Naruto, they hang out together quite a bit. Naruto even mistakes Temari as Shikamaru's girlfriend! -heart- So, I think Kishimoto-sama was hinting at the future pairing on purpose:D

As the for suffixes, I really like it when things sound . . . American-ized? I just sometimes don't like it when people exaggerate on the 'chan' or 'kun' thing, so just hearing it in an English sense makes me most comfortable. You know? XD And I'm also glad I kept Sakura and Ino friends! I thought their relationship before the whole Sasuke thing was cute. Yes! XD

ASweetKissFromPoisonedLips- Yes! I adore all of the male characters from Naruto, truth be told, and for all different reasons. Gaara, Shikamaru, Kakashi and Sasuke are all incredibly sexay, Naruto, Kiba and Chouji are adorable and Shino and Neji (But in the latest chapters of Naruto Neji has turned sexay!) have some sort of mysterious appeal to them. And Kankuro . . . He's a cool character. :D Still, my favorite character overall is Lee! –heart- I adore him. Lol!

Bevy-chan- lol:D Well, now I'm back and I'm gonna try my best to update at least every two weeks or so. I'm trying to get adjusted to my other stories as well- good thing re-reading this one only took a short time! I hope you enjoy this update. :D

hopeless-girl- Ack! –Casts revive magic- There you go. XD Hopefully this wasn't terribly long, but I would understand if you thought so. I couldn't stand not being able to update!

krn-kimbap- Yes, Gaara! Don ya just love him:D I adore him and his psychopath self. Yes! Anyways, I'll try my best to read and review, but I can't promise. I don't read other peoples stories too often . . . XD XD XD Sorry if I don't get to it!

Momo-Sama- Of course Gaara is! He's Gaara! He couldn't possibly be anything less than that. :D And yeay for Shikamaru x Temari! Such a cute couple . . . yes! –heart-

AngelOfDeath10- Hee, me too. Team Seven is awsome! But then again, I love all the teams in their own weird ways. XD And I always imagined Gaara as a goth if he were a more modernized character. But I'm sure I'm not the only one! XD

Crisis Haylo- Heeeeyo! I miss you:D I'm so glad to be on again. But I really love that cutting-hair tradition; it's so cute! And I think it's a nice, fresh way to start over after a relationship. You know? XD I need to think of a scene when Sakura cuts her hair!


	13. Friendship

**Another chapter! And I'm proud of this one too, as I always feel proud of this story. :D Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter Thirteen**

Just as soon as she introduced the two of them, Ino said she had to leave. At first Sakura looked at her in an almost desperate manner, not exactly sure what to say to Shikamaru, but Ino barely even noticed. She gave the shy girl another small hug before running off, shouting something inaudible about Sasuke.

"That girl," Shikamaru muttered, looking clearly annoyed as he leaned all of his weight onto one side and placed a hand on his hip. Sakura found his small, beady eyes intimidating somehow. "She's just so troublesome."

"So . . ." Sakura started slowly, catching his attention. He looked down at her, and Sakura found she was much shorter than him. As she spoke she averted her eyes and looked towards the ground, trying in her mind to find the right words to start off something. "Well . . . see . . ."

"Come on."

Sakura watched for a second as Shikamaru started to walk away from her and the Cherry Blossom tree, then she obediently followed him, wondering where on earth he was taking her. Out of the corner of her eye among all of the students still loitering the school she spotted Kiba, smiling and laughing along with two others. Somehow he also spotted her and the two waved at each other excitedly, but then when she frowned. _'Somehow I wish I was with him and his friends . . .'_

As the two walked along the school but not necessarily in any particular direction as far as the young girl knew, Shikamaru spoke bluntly. "So? Aren't you gonna talk?"

"Oh, yeah!" Sakura said suddenly. So that's what he was waiting for? As she spoke, she rambled, almost as if she wasn't sure what she was saying. "Well, you see, I'm friends with these really great guys, and they're really nice and fun to be with but now for some reason they both started liking me, and not just liking as a friend you know, they're both seriously starting to like me, and-"

She finally took a deep breath, but found she had nothing more to really say. She looked up to Shikamaru, waiting for some sort of reply or piece of advice. She wasn't exactly sure what to think of him, but if Ino recommended him then he had to be good. She wouldn't give her a dead end, after all. " . . . Umm . . . well?"

"I get it." Shikamaru stopped, and so she stopped as well. He scratched at the back on his neck and closed his eyes for only a moment, then he opened them again and looked down at her. "So, Sasuke and Naruto both like you, seriously, and you're not sure what to make of it."

With that he began to walk along again, and it took her a moment to realize that she was supposed to follow. A small cherry blossom petal fell on her nose before she ran to catch up with him, and it was the first time she noticed they were among them. But still, even more than that, she was stunned. Already he narrowed down her exact problem. _'Not only that, he has the names too! And I didn't even mention them!'_

She was so impressed with that, rethinking of what hints she could have mentioned to bring him to that conclusion that she bumped right into his back, not realizing Shikamaru had stopped again. She glanced up at him momentarily and was ready to apologize, but he wasn't even paying attention to her. For the first time since she'd met him a few moments ago he had a smile on. "Ah, Chouji."

Looking past his shoulder and for some awkward reason hiding behind Shikamaru, Sakura looked to find a large, tubby male of their age- or at the very least, she thought he was their age- chowing down on a jumbo bag of potato chips. He had rather all-over-the-place caramel hair tied under a blue bandana and puffy cheeks, but he had eyes that were small and quite similar to Shikamaru's.

As Chouji was called, he also smiled at Shikamaru and hurried over, Sakura having to hold back a snort from the odd waddling sight. They greeted each other quickly like old friends, then he finally seemed to have noticed Sakura. He cocked his head to the side a bit as if peeking behind Shikamaru to a little child, then he was upright again. Through a mouthful of chips he said, "Is this a friend of Ino's?"

Sakura was surprised. Were there more geniuses about here, ones that could easily read someone's mind? Then again, they were friends. "How did you know?"

"Don't think you're the first," Shikamaru said with an odd smirk, stuffing his hands in his rather plain, worn out jeans. "Ino always brings me her friends, like I'm the guidance counselor of the whole school."

'_Oh,' _Sakura thought, frowning a bit. She actually thought she was sort of special to get this kind of treatment before that. _'No wonder he seems pretty annoyed.' _

"Shikamaru," Chouji began, licking his fingers of the salt, "I wanna go eat somewhere."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Yeah, sure." He turned to Sakura, back to his sort of scowl look, though it didn't seem to be on purpose. Perhaps he just naturally felt most comfortable around Chouji, or so Sakura suspected. "We're gonna go to a restaurant. You coming?"

"But he's already eating something . . ."

"This is normal; so, are you coming or do you want me to talk to you tommorow?"

Sakura thought about it for a moment, taking one glance at Chouji and turning away. He had a bit of chewed potato chip on his chin, bouncing as he moved his jaw up and down and quite frankly she was a bit grossed out. Lunch? With him? Then again, it couldn't be so bad. She could just sit on the same side as Shikamaru, or if they were gonna sit on the same side she could be on the other and not look. No big deal. Plus, she really wanted this talk. "Sure, I'm going."

So far, for the short time she had been there, Sakura had never been anywhere but from school to home, back and forth, back and forth, every single day. She really didn't have a need to go anywhere; her mother would never take her any where since she was so busy arguing with her father over the phone, and she was already happy enough joking around with Sasuke and Naruto. Well, she will be again once they make up.

But now she was at a pretty nice restaurant or more like a sit-down hangout for teenagers. She didn't even know that there was a sort of strip mall or shopping center, but it was just a short walk from the school in the opposite direction of her neighborhood. As she settled herself down, Shikamaru sat down next to her and Chouji across, already eagerly looking at the menu.

Shikamaru leaned back into the cushion, linking his fingers behind his head and closing his eyes. "Okay, Sakura, tell the story again.And don't try to avoid any names this tome, okay?"

Sakura flushed. She was a bit embarrassed that she had done that, though it wasn't totally on purpose. She was agreeing to try and be fully honest with everything this time; they were going to get anywhere if she couldn't even do that. "Okay. . . well-"

"Shikamaru, do you want an appetizer?" Chouji interrupted, his eyes never leaving the menu. Shikamaru shrugged.

"I guess. You can have it though."

Sakura frowned, then started again. "Um . . . See, I know that before I moved here Sasuke and Naruto were really good friends. They talked about each other a lot, and when all three of us are together it was fun. I really like it. But because of me now . . . they're arguing and they don't like each other, and . . . I don't want to ruin that."

When she was finished, she felt a weight lift off of her shoulders. Not a lot of weight, but enough to make her feel better than she had been for a little while. Her eyes began to water, but she wasn't nearly motivated enough to cry. She looked to Shikamaru for only a second, who sighed in response before speaking.

"So if the problem lies with them, what are you doing here exactly?" Shikamaru asked, as if it were the most obvious question to ask in the world. He was so blunt about it that it almost took her off guard, but she knew what answer she had.

"I, really . . . I really want them to be friends again." Chouji put down his menu and Shikamaru glanced over to her in curiosity. She was sort of in her own mind now, not really paying attention to the other two. "I mean, the only reason they're fighting is because they both like me. I know that. Even if they have to hate me for it, I just want them to be friends."

Chouji spoke next. "Are you sure about that?" She glanced in his direction with a confused expression on her face, and he quickly elaborated for her. "I mean, don't you want to go out with Sasuke or something?"

"No!" Sakura suddenly said a little loudly, surprising the both of them. She looked away again, and the welling in her eyes was becoming heavier. _'Why can't anyone understand that I just want to be friends with them? I want them to be friends with each other . . . why did I have to go and mess things up?'_

As Sakura slowly covered her face with her hands, letting the tears fall out, Chouji and Shikamaru gave each other knowing expressions. Without even speaking they could read each other's mind, know what the other was thinking. At the same time, they both smiled and Shikamaru leaned over a bit to pat Sakura's back lightly. "Geez, you're so troublesome."

"Sorry," she said, wiping her face a bit and laughing a little as if to try and lighten things. "I bet this looks back, a girl crying in front of you like this . . ."

"No, that's not it?"

"What?"

Shikamaru sat back to where he was, an obvious smirk on his face. "I'll help you out. Chouji too."

For a second Sakura could hardly believe what she heard. She was almost doubting it was said for a second. So far, the both of them gave off the kind of impression that they were so close they wouldn't even bother paying attention to her, or anyone else for that matter. But to see them so friendly, and now that they saw what she was saying . . . "Really?"

Shikamaru and Chouji nodded, and she suddenly felt so overwhelmed with happiness that she was getting real help through this that she started to cry some more. She laughed a little again, but this time she really meant it. She sniffled and wiped her nose a little. "Gosh, if I knew I was going to be such a crybaby when I came to this school, I would've never started wearing make-up."

For the rest of the time there, they had their meals and talked rather freely. Sakura had wiped off her make-up with a napkin and Chouji commented on how she looked pretty even without it, but as soon as the food had come he chowed down. She giggled, and then they talked about her old school and her life before. She had become a little emotional when they had mentioned her parents, but otherwise she felt she couldn't be happier.

As the three started to walk out of the restaurant and out onto the sidewalk, Sakura still amazed by just how much Chouji could eat in one sitting, she stopped. The two turned to looked at her curiously, then she smiled. "It's nothing much . . . I just forgot to pay my part of the tip."

She turned and hurried back into the restaurant, not noticing that Shikamaru had opened his mouth to speak. When the door closed he sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, shrugging as if it were no big deal. "I already paid the whole tip, but I guess if she wants to pay more . . ."

Even then he was still smiling awkwardly. Chouji caught it and also grinned. "Ino has a really good friend.

"Yeah . . ."

Sakura stood in front of the table, fishing through the small purse she had at her side for a few dollars. Before she came to Konoha High, she never carried a purse either, but she had learned that they had many uses.

"Haruno Sakura."

Just as she had found the money her body froze, and she only turned her head slowly. A wave of fear crept over her as she saw Gaara standing there, the frightening boy she had met in the library earlier that day. What was scarier was the fact that his expression was still that same, cold, disturbing stare. "Y-You . . ."

Gaara grabbed at her wrist, spinning her around and pulled her towards the door. "You're coming with me."

"W-Wait!" she said, struggling just a little bit. But it wasn't any use; he had an iron grip, and it seemed there was no way he was going to let go. _'Shikamaru . . . Chouji . . . help!'_

X x x x x

I'm so glad Chouji and Shikamaru are in it now! I loved them. Chouji is so adorable, and Shikamaru is just plain sexay. Still, in the later episodes of Naruto Minor spoilers! where Chouji was thin during the fight made him pretty cute too. Did anyone see that? I was freaking out! Lol!

krn-kimbap- lol, yes! All of those things need to happen! Lol, "Run, Sakura, run!" Reminds me of Forrest Gump. –Loves that movie- XD I'm _still _debating on which character I want Sakura to be with . . . isn't that sad? XD I'm trying to choose! I'm just letting the story flow.

Diamond Skye- -Tallies that down- It's such a mix; some people want Sasuke x Sakura, some want Naruto x Sakura . . . lol! It's so much fun. : ) Yes! And of course Sasuke and Sakura should be a couple in the manga. They're one of my favorite couples! And that leaves me to becomes Lee's girlfriend . . . –Shoujo Bubbles- lol! XD

Maya Amano- Yes, that's just what makes Naruto fun! So many characters to interact and play with . . . –Loves- And Lee will be in the story _for sure_! He's my favorite character, so no doubt he will appear sometime. When is that sometime? I'm not sure! XD

zornoid13- Sure:D Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Darkphoenixsaga- -Hugs- Thank you so much:D Yes, Sasuke x Sakura are such an adorable couple. I love them! Like I said before to krn-kimbap though, I'm still debating on who I want to be the coupling in this story. Hopefully I'll figure it out soon!

Crisis Haylo- Yes! –Hugs- I'm still trying to figure out what that moment is going to be, but I'll soon figure it out. :D For sure!


	14. Betrayal

**Chapter Fourteen **

Gaara pulled Sakura outside onto the street, completely ignoring any grunts or pulls of protest on her part. She was being dragged along like a doll, and it was only when he stopped right outside the restaurant that she stopped as well. Gaara's gaze was completely focused, and when she followed it she found Shikamaru and Chouji at the end. She smiled, though her insides her melting. _'They're still here!'_

But Gaara had to ruin that. His disturbing, emotionless eyes pierced right through both boys, sending shivers down their spine. "Both of you should go . . . I'm looking for blood."

Sakura stopped her resisting, but her body continued to shake nervously as her eyes, scattershot, went from Gaara to Chouji to Shikamaru. Her friends also seemed to understand the threat as something real; they all just knew he wouldn't care who tried to stop him.

At last the tense, silent moment seemed to pass and Shikamaru stood straight, his eyes much calmer than before. He shrugged, yawning a little as if it were no big deal. Something about him had changed. Sakura was curious. "Go ahead, then . . . take her to wherever. We won't stop you."

'_What!' _Sakura thought, both her anger and fear rising. She had trusted them . . . both of them! And she was really planning on depending on their help! She looked do Chouji instead, hoping his answer would be better. He also seemed surprised by his friends' response, but he also nodded a second later. _'What am I missing here?'_

Before she could even shout an answer to them or giving any sort of response Gaara tugged at her arm and turned, pulling her away from the two people she thought she could trust. For a moment she almost felt like letting Gaara take her, just to get away from the both of them. Neither side was really helping her, but unfortunately for now, she didn't have much of a choice. She frowned and looked down to the ground, a heavy weight encasing her. _'I really thought we had become friends . . .'_

Once both Sakura and Gaara were out of their view, Shikamaru heaved a sigh and relaxed, stuffing his hands in his pockets once again and letting his shoulders slouch. He had no need to look strong anymore; not that he was trying too. He looked over to Chouji, who seemed suspicious.

"It couldn't be helped," Shikamaru explained bluntly. "There was no way we could beat him in a fight, even together. It's smarter to let her go for now. If Gaara is dragging her instead of hurting her, it means he wants her for something, so he's not going to do any damage as long as we're quiet about things."

"Okay," Chouji agreed. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out some gum, offering to give a piece to his friend until he refused. When he started chewing, he waited for Shikamaru to come up with a plan of rescue, which he knew was on his mind.

Finally, he spoke. "Chouji, do you have my cell phone still?"

The heavier of the two nodded. "Yeah . . . do we need to call someone or something?"

"Yeah. Call Ino. She might be able to help us on this."

As Chouji took out the phone and listened to the mastermind of their new, barely formulated plan, someone saw the entire escapade from inside the restaurant. His body sat comfortably in a booth alone, his small fingers gracing over a glass of ice water, the only item other than the menu itself on the table. He saw Gaara take Sakura away, and while he hadn't done anything, he had a feeling there was something to be done.

"Haruno Sakura, huh?"

Unlike the neighborhood Naruto and Sakura lived in, or even like the semi-delicate string of stores and restaurants nearby, Ino had walked into a rather wealthy portion of Konoha. She actually didn't live there; someone else of great value to her was the sole heir to one of the largest mansions, the one she was standing right before. _'Sasuke . . .'_

This one was tall and completely white, the sun shining down on it so much the renewed paint literally glowed with rich appeal. The Greek Revival row of columns for the tall double doors Ino walked towards reached as high as the third floor, their intricate flowery carvings showing off immaculate beauty. With a wide smile on her face she stepped before the great doors and pressed a button to the side, an almost ringing-like tone echoing through the home.

As soon as Sasuke's irritated, grumbled face opened the door to peek out Ino hopped inside and pulled him into a big hug, squeezing his body so tight he could barely breathe. When she let go she squealed, pinching and stretching both of his cheeks. "Oh, Sasuke! How are you right now? It's been forever since I last came over here!"

Before he could answer to anything she was saying to looked around the house, staring up at the tall, white ceiling and the spacious entrance. To the left was a mostly empty room, with the exception of a wide screen television and a beige couch, while to the right there was a row of bookshelves, all looking spotless as if they had been dusted only yesterday. She giggled.

"Looks like someone has been cleaning around here," she said, only holding his hand now. Her fingers lightly intertwined with his, mostly at her rule rather than his. "Usually it's so messy . . . hey, you even got that stain off the carpet from when you spilled your Coke!"

"_Ino_," he muttered, as if he were used to this sort of this behavior and utterly annoyed by it. She decided to ignore him, dragging him into the hallway between the two rooms which led to a wide, open kitchen and a dinner table all in the same, spacious place.

When she let go of his hand Sasuke opted to go sit at the table while Ino went ahead and dived into the cabinets of the kitchen, humming a sweet melody as she pulled out the necessary pots and pans for what she was planning. As she reached into the refrigerator she paused, then she looked back at Sasuke. "Hey, what would you like to eat anyway?"

"Nothing," he replied, but she ended up taking out some milk and eggs anyway. As she laid both objects down onto the counter she spotted a small but elaborate carnation of flowers and began fiddling with it, waiting for a more appropriate answer. "Come on, Ino. I'm really not in the mood for it."

Ino stopped playing with the flowers, looking over to observe Sasuke's face more readily. As she did, she frowned, disappointed in herself. _'He really does seem down today . . . I mean, most people think he's always annoyed, but today there's something different.'_

Sasuke hadn't been paying much attention to anything until he heard a few footsteps and the sliding of the chair next to him, where a more serious, sympathetic Ino sat down. She let her hands rest in her lap, her eyes completely focused on him. "What's wrong?"

For just a moment Sasuke averted his eyes. He didn't want to talk about his problems right now, not with anyone. Things were just sort of weird, hard to take in. But as he tried to gather his thoughts in his mind an instinct to let them out began.

"Well . . ." he started slowly, still keeping his center of attention elsewhere. "It's just that . . . ever since I met Sakura, things have really changed. She's different from other girls."

At these words Ino felt a twinge of jealousy and shock run through her and she bit her lip, trying her best not to physically show it. Sasuke was continuing to speak, mentioning something about Naruto and Sakura as well but now she wasn't paying so much attention. She started to recall her conversation with Sakura the night before, and how the girl had slyly evaded using both boys' names.

'_I can't believe this,' _she thought, biting down even harder on her bottom lip to hold in the growing antagonism. _'I was fine with Sasuke and Sakura being friends . . . I really was! But now he's all . . . and she . . . she's playing Miss Innocent! That's not fair!'_

Not being able to take it anymore and knowing she had to do something to get rid of this livid energy, she stood so fast out of her chair that it startled Sasuke and went back behind the counter of the kitchen. She wasn't even sure what she was going to cook, but she was going to make and Sasuke was going to eat it. _'No thinking of her like that! This is about me and him!'_

But before she could even start her cell phone has rung and she picked it up from her belt and flipped it open, trying her best to sound cheery through the line as she spoke. A frantic voice appeared on the other line, loud and hysterical.

"Ino, Ino!" she recognized the voice immediately as her friend Chouji. "We've got a huge problem, and we really need your help with it or else it won't work, and-"

"Whoa, _whoa_!" She said, worry on her expression and she physically moved her hands with her words. "Hold on. Calm down Chouji. What's wrong?"

"It-It's Sakura." Somewhere the worry was completely gone, replaced by that same echelon of jealousy she had just discovered moments before. But still, she listened. She was curious to know what kind of trouble she had actually gotten herself in. "Right now, Gaara has her. You know where Sasuke lives, right? Go get him, and tell him to call some friends or something! We need to go get her, or else we don't even know what could happen."

Ino paused for a moment, weighing out her options mentally. She could try and help Sakura out, figure out what was going on and why she hadn't told her the truth in the first place. Either that, or she could just blow the whole idea off. She smirked, her voice strong and conceited. "Sure. I'll help you out."

Before Chouji could even reply for a thank you she hung up her cell phone and rested it on her hip again, ready to go back to making whatever food she wanted. Sasuke, who was laying his head in his arms on the table as if resting, picked it up momentarily, a little curiosity wondering in his eyes. "Who was that?"

"Just Chouji," she said calmly, as if nothing was going on. "He was acting like the sky was falling, but it was no big deal; he's worried about a math test tommorow and wants me to help him study."

"Oh." And he put his head back down, not in the least questioning her words.

Even though Sakura was tired and her arm was starting to feel sore right at the socket from being dragged so much by Gaara, she was actually looking around more at the neighborhood. This place that he seemed to be taking her to wasn't a scary underground club for gang members nor was it a round of homes that looked trashier than her own; they were ordinary, middle-class homes that possessed a sort of Pleasantville charm to them. Somehow, this made her feel a little relieved.

"I-Is this where you live?" she asked Gaara as they stepped before a particular home, one that looked just like the others; plain and rather ordinary. He ignored her, but he continued to walk up the driveway of the house and kicked the door so hard it opened, slamming into the wall and startling two occupants inside. Sakura recognized them both immediately as the two with Gaara at the library, the rather bulky boy on the computer in the room to the left and the girl sitting in a chair beside him.

The girl, whom Sakura vaguely remembered as Temari, was the first to speak. Her voice sounded more shocked then anything as her eyes wandered from Gaara to his captive. "Gaara! What are you doing with that girl! You shouldn't be-"

A cold glare from him immediately shut her mouth and she looked back at the computer screen, glancing back a little bit as if she wanted to say more but couldn't. Kankuro hadn't even tried to reason. Sakura frowned as she felt herself being jerked up a flight of stairs in front of them, the first notable thing at the entrance of the home.

'_Before I thought they were friends,' _Sakura thought as she made sure not to trip, though it was a challenge since she was being pulled so quickly. _'I guess they're all family. But where's their mom and dad . . .? And why do those other two seem so scared? They looked older than Gaara . . .'_

As they came across a long hallway, the stairs itself leading the center of it, there were five doors; two opposite of each other on the left, two opposite of each other on the right, and one right before the two, which seemed to be the door Gaara was reaching for. The young girl only glanced temporarily at the picture frames on the wall before shutting her eyes, a frightening visual coming to mind as she heard the handle being turned.

'_I'm scared,' _she suddenly thought, her eyes finally tearing as she was coming to the climax of the kidnapping. Before she felt scared, especially since it was Gaara, but she was outside in the open. Surely someone would have saved her then, but it didn't happen. _'I'm about to go into this guys' room, and . . . and . . . who knows what'll happen! I don't care who it is anymore; Shikamaru, Chouji, Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba . . . someone help me!' _

X x x x x

Wow, I haven't updated this in over a month! Believe it or not, I have chapters upon chapters of notes for this story, so I'm definitely not quitting. XD I just need to write them down in story form and sort of confirm them. Anyways, hope you liked this chapter!

Relationships are finally starting to shift; especially the one between Ino and Sakura. T.T Ino's being evil! Just a jealous girl. And who do you guys think the msyterious guy/girl at the café-thingy is? Guess, guess! They play and important role pretty soon. :D

And also, we've reached over 100 reviews! –Parties- Thank you all so much for your dedication! It's really been a lot of fun! And I don't plan on ending this story anytime soon, that's for sure!

Diamond Skye- Yes:D Lee is totally cool. I adore Shikamaru, and I've always liked Chouji. Believe it or not, the first thing of Naruto I ever saw was I randomly started reading downloads off the internet, and the first chapter I read was the middle of Chouji's fight when the team was trying to get Sasuke. XD That's why I've always liked Chouji:D

Joann- Ack! This definitely was not soon. XD But I still hope it's okay!

Random Reviewer- Thanks so much:D Wow, I've never heard of that pairing . . . this story will definitely end with either Sasuke x Sakura or Naruto x Sakura, but that sounds like a fun pairings too! I'm a big Temari x Shikamaru fan though. XD

Miru-chan- Thank you:D Yes, I totally agree with you about Sasuke x Sakura; I love that pairing in the anime! Are you reading the latest chapters?

zornoid13- Of course I'll continue! –Celebrates- Yeay for twists! XD

twigy- Thank you so much! No worries, I won't be quitting anytime soon. This is the only Highschool story I've ever really written, and so far it's a lot of fun:D

DoCToR MeOwZiE- Yeay for Edge-of-the-seat-ness! XD Thank you so much; this is a little later than 'soon', but I hope it's still alright!

bubbles05- Yes, he is:D I need to put him back in this- he hasn't really been here much in the past couple of chapters!

Hyzenthlay-shine dew fur- Oh, heyo:D Gaara is playing a big role for now.

Crisis Haylo- Yes! Action-stuffs soon:D This is a part where lots of characters are going to get crazy-involved, 'cause it's fun! And I love those fuzzy moments when someone is in trouble and poof! All of the rescuers come and everything is good and cool. Know what I mean? XD

Lady Misao- Thank you so much:D I'm trying my best, so I'm glad you enjoy it!

myhelplessheart- Yes! XD Shikamaru used to be my favorite character . . . he's so sexay and smart and hawt and sexay and amazing and sexay and . . . lol:D I'm trying to make it a difficult decision, or not to obvious on who Sakura's going to be with. Am I doing a good job of that? XD

krn-kimbap- It's 'cause he's Gaara:D Don't worry, he has underlying special-stuffs that'll come into play. He wont be evil forever!

Vanillagal- Yup:D Guys like Naruto are so adorable, so I'm glad everyone likes him! The character I would want to be with most has yet to show up here though . . . he's gonna come in though! He has to since he's my fave! XD


	15. Realization

**Chapter Fifteen**

Sakura shut her eyes as she felt her body being thrown full-force on a soft, fluffy material, something she knew was his bed. She listened involuntarily as the door slammed behind Gaara and the lock on the handle was activated. Her body was lying flat against the covers, her knees bent inward as closely as they could be and she crossed her arms over her face, preparing for the worst.

"N-No!" she shouted, trying to sound strong through her crying but seeming utterly weak. "I don't . . . just _no_!"

But as she waited, not necessarily ready but facing the facts on what was to come, nothing happened. She heard more shuffling, but it wasn't on top of her and Gaara hadn't ruffled her up or anything of the sort. It almost sounded like he was doing something on the other side of the room.

Letting her guard down just a bit she slowly opened her eyes, for the first time noticing a simple, plain room. There was the bed she was lying on in the corner, then there was a desk where he had sat down with a computer on it and a closet as well. He looked like he was reaching into a bag to take out books and it clicked. _'He's . . . he's doing homework? Now?'_

"What's happening . . .?" she asked lightly to no one in particular, sitting up a bit and turning to stare out the window that was next to her. There was a small space in between the home she was in and the next, with small bushes lining the sides. When she found it less interesting than what she hoped she looked to Gaara, who already had a pen out and was writing. _'He's confusing me . . . why am I even here if he's not doing anything?'_

"Can I go get some water? Umm . . . please?" Again, she was ignored, and she wiped the tears that were starting to dry on her face. She could have cared less about her make up at the moment; she was sure Gaara didn't care either. When she waited long enough for her to tell he wasn't ever going to ay anything to her she cautiously scooted over the side of the bed, ready to get off. "Okay . . ."

That was what made Gaara notice her. When Sakura's two feet were on the ground and heading for the door he stood up and pulled a sharp knife from his pocket, pushing her body forcibly against the wall and stabbing right next to her head, leaving a giant crack on it. Her breath stopped as she looked into his cold, hard eyes, ones that threatened her if she even dared to move a muscle at the moment.

"You're staying here," he told her obediently, and she nodded. With that he didn't go back to his desk for homework, but instead was heading towards the door to go back downstairs. Sakura still had the nerve for at least a little something, but only verbal; she couldn't have willed herself to move from the spot even if she wanted to.

"Why?" she asked, playing the question she had in her mind out loud. Gaara stopped, his hand on the door. "If you're noot doing anything to me . . . not that I want you to, or anything, but . . . what's the point in having me here? I'm . . . I'm not following this."

There was a pause, and for the first time Gaara answered one of her questions. "Naruto and Sasuke . . . both of them are strong fighters. But because of you, they've gone soft. You are just in the way."

Gaara left after he said that, but the words he said seemed to linger in her mind, over and over again. _You are just in the way. _How could he say that? Sakura let herself fall to the floor, but unlike what she had expected she didn't cry at all. Something in the pit of her stomach turned into a heavy weight, weakening her legs and rendering her unable to stand up any longer. _'It hurts . . . I knew all of that already, but it still hurts when someone says it to you.'_

Somehow she and Gaara were on the same level with things, with the same thought and ideas about herself. But their methods were completely different, their reasons for wanting change. Because of that she couldn't be angry with him no matter how much she wished she could be. _'Gaara . . . Naruto . . . Sasuke . . .'_

As Gaara was walking down the stairs he stopped, noticing Temari was already coming up with a tray in her hands. It had a bowl of soup, a glass of water and three tiny pills rolling around on top of the gray metal. She glanced up at him with her blue-green eyes and frowned, but held up the tray as if gesturing for him to take it.

"You've got to take your medication now, Gaara," she said, and just that moment he picked off the three pills in one hand and the glass of water in the other. As he did what he was told, she also informed him of other things, her voice soft and cautious just in case her younger brother was going to snap at him. "I want you to eat too; you haven't been properly having your meals lately . . . and also . . . I want you to stay home for the next couple of days. You've been going out to much."

When Gaara didn't answer, still drinking down his medicine with the water, she opened her mouth to speak again. But before she even got the chance he slammed the glass onto the tray again, startling her, then he said in a harsh voice, "And what are you going to do if I don't come home?"

Temari didn't have a single answer for that; nothing came to mind. When she was faced with Gaara's cold, unyielding stare she froze on the spot, afraid of what her little brother was capable of doing. She only came back into focus when his gaze fell and his body seemed to waver.

"Gaara, are you okay?" she said quickly, putting the tray down on the stairs they were on and gripping his shoulders to hold him up. She could see his half-closed eyes were instantly ready to shut and she could feel a sort of weakness emanating that made him want to fall and rest on the spot. She turned his body around and pushed him up the stairs by his back, and for once he complied. "Go to sleep, Gaara. You're tired . . ."

At first he only yawned, covering his mouth before reaching for the handle. As he turned, he spoke. "Bring up a glass of water soon."

"Huh?" Temari gave him a confused expression, in which he explained. It was an answer she hardly expected.

"Haruno Sakura said she wanted some."

As soon as Gaara had closed his bedroom door behind him Temari relaxed her tense shoulders and sighed. She turned as she heard a creak on the stairs and saw her other younger brother, Kankuro, walking towards her to pick up the tray she had put down, a clever smirk on his face.

"Gave him sleeping pills instead, huh?" he said knowingly, and though she didn't answer he knew it was the truth. He chuckled a little as he balanced the glass Gaara had drunk out of so it wouldn't fall so easily and break. "The fast kind, too. You know he's gonna realize it as soon as he wakes up."

Temari shrugged in response and turned to walk back down the stairs, Kankuro following her so they could continue in with their conversation. Even though the youngest of the three wasn't among their presence anymore she felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. "I'm not going to worry about it now . . . I just wanted some quiet for a while."

"Or at least a chance for that girl to get away."

"Whatever," she replied, scoffing a bit as she crossed her arms. "I don't like prissy looking girls like her. Still, she wasn't supposed to be a part of Gaara's obsession either. She just . . . happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Kankuro nodded in agreement, siding with her on everything she had just said. Even though they looked different on the outside, they were of one mind when it came to most decisions. "True enough."

Sakura already found herself back on the bed by the time Gaara had come back, which was only within a couple of minutes. She turned her face away to look out the window, not exactly sure what to do or say in his presence at the moment. But there wasn't any need to do anything; as soon as he walked in he fell right next to her on his bed, his eyes shut and his breathing heavy.

"G . . . Gaara?" she said slowly, now focusing her attention on the boy. For a moment she just watched as he comfortably curled himself in a small ball, his face becoming unusually soft. Any aura of fear from her was gone as she waved a hand over his head, realizing he was completely out of it. _'I . . . I don't know what happened, but whatever it was, it worked!'_

Despite the strange black make-up he wore, Sakura almost thought he looked like a baby. In comparison to what he usually looked like, to say the least. The harsh mask he had worn every time she saw him had changed into a sleeping figure. He grumbled and started to curl up even more, moving his hands underneath his head to prop it up comfortably like a pillow. Finally, she dared herself to poke the one cheek he was exposing and she immediately giggled. _'He's like a child now!'_

More inaudible grumbling came from his that for some reason or another made Sakura giggled again, but she stopped once she heard soft words come along with a pained expression. "Yash . . . Yashamaru . . ."

'_Who?' _Sakura thought, a million questions coming to mind. Of all the people to whisper names in their sleep, she least expected Gaara. He just didn't act like the type of person who would hold onto anyone for the sake of anything. _'Is it a girlfriend . . . maybe . . .'_

Although she still felt uncomfortable in such an unfamiliar place, she wasn't sure what else to do. Watching his sleeping self started to make her eyes drift, and before she even realized it she balled her knees up to her chin, leaned against the window behind her and closed her eyes . . .

"Geez," Shikamaru muttered, checking his wristwatch and frowning. The entire time they were still waiting outside the restaurant, never noticing the small flowing of customers walking in and out the doors. "This is too troublesome. We've been out here for an hour already. What's taking her so long?"

A rather loud growl from Chouji's stomach made both pairs of eyes go in the large boys' direction, in which there was only one simple explanation. "I'm hungry."

Shikamaru couldn't help but laugh. He knew it had to come sooner or later if they had to be outside this long, but it still amused him almost every time. Even though they were on a sort of emergency he waved it off. "Go ahead and eat. Oh, and let me have my cell phone before you go in."

"Sure thing."

The moment his friend went inside the restaurant he went right to work, dialing the number of the person he had wanted to get a hold of for quite a while. As soon as the cheerful, giggling voice of the young girl picked up on the other line he said sternly, "Ino, where are you? When are you planning on coming here?"

An immediate silence followed on the other side, followed by Sasuke's voice saying something he could barely hear. Before she could answer he had already hung up and sighed, leaning himself against the glass of the restaurant. "I knew it . . ."

'_She was never planning on coming in the first place,' _he thought, his first plan of action in ruins with –or at least he was sure of- limited time left. _'I wasn't sure if it would happen or not, but at least we know what side she's playing on now.'_

Shikamaru stood up straight and walked into the restaurant, already quickly spotting Chouji among the hungry customers. None could ever be so loud and quick to chow down as him, and the large boy was sitting in one of the booths gulping down an appetizer. Shikamaru walked up to him and motioned with his hands for him to come. Chouji seemed to immediately understand everything and sighed, putting down the empty bowl he had in his hands.

"Ino," he said, a frown coming to his face. "She'll do anything to get Sasuke, even betray her friends . . . Sometimes I just don't like her so much."

"Same goes for me, but she'll learn," Shikamaru replied. "Now come on. Pay so we can go try and get someone else."

Chouji reached into his back pocket, shuffling around a bit before he pulled out a small wallet and flipped through the inside. It took only a few seconds before his frown deepened and he turned to Shikamaru with a pleading look in his eyes. "I don't have any more money . . ."

Shikamaru sighed, already reaching into his own pocket like he was expecting this sort of problem to happen. It must have occurred for them many times for them to have been so much in synch with such simple events. "Don't worry, I'll pay."

With things taken care of the both of them got themselves ready to walk out the door to find help. But, as soon as they opened the entrance they bumped into the two people that were perfect for a rescue mission.

X x x x x

Gosh, this story is getting tough to write . . . even with all of my notes! T.T I'm so sorry. I hope this wasn't too dissapointing of a chapter, since I'm sure many of you were expecting a sort of resuce in this chapter from evil Gaara . . . but not quite yet! Gaara has a sad side to him too! Just like in the manga/anime . . .

Of course, it won't be exactly the same, since this is supposed to be a sort of out-of-whack high school romance story, but it's gonna follow the same sort of guidelines! Maybe. XD And where's the romance? Aaack! No romance in this chapter! T.T Well, there's family love here. Temari and Kankuro do care for their brother. Really.

So . . . I think within the next few chapters this arc of Gaara-ness will be complete. But how so? And now we have multiple mystery people! The person that was at the restuaraunt, and the people walking in the resturaunt! Who iz them all? I think that _should _be answered by th next chapter. So yes!

And you know what else? **Where is the hit counter? **XD I wanna see my hits! That's so cool of to do it, but I can't see mine! Or at least, I have no idea where it is . . . XD

Kist- Thanks:D I hope this is too bad . . . and I hope you'll continue to read this!

Hyzenthlay-shine dew fur- Wow, so many people are angry at Ino! T.T She's definitely getting a 'What goes around comes around' sort of thing . . . thank you so much for reading this!

brokenxrequiem- Thank you so much:D And no worries about reviewing earlier chapters; I always wait till I finish all chapters to a story before I review! XD It just seemes strange to clutter up someones inbox with reviews for every chapter if they're all already up or something . . . or . . . Ack! Dunno what I'm saying . . . lol!

I really like Sakura a lot. Through the anime and manga she develops so much as a character, and it's in such a natural way that many can relate to her. In the beginning she's just what one would call an average girl- But then she turns into her own person. She originally just had a crush on Sasuke, but as she comes to know him she comes to truly love him. She's always been a smart girl, but towards the later chapters she learns how to apply her strengths instead of just standing on the sidelines. :D She really is amazing to me!

Yokaigurl- Ack! Sorry. XD Mwahaha, so many hawt people in Naruto . . . it's so awsome! I wanna see what Shino looks like without those glasses of his . . . he's such a curious character, so I hope he has a role in the latest chapters soon! It seems appropriate for him to finall come out. XD Have you have the later chapters? I hope!

HinatasBiggestFanBoy- I'm so sorry I didn't update in so long! T.T But now I am, so all is well again! I'll try not to take so long with the next update . . . yes!

krn-kimbap- Hmmm . . . someday in the story he's not gonna be evil! And with the help of Sakura, because she's the main character here. Yeay! XD Hmmm . . . I'm still contemplating on who I want Sakura to be with. But I think I might have an idea on how I want this story to go!

Diamond Skye- Wheeew, the update dance! –Makes Sasuke join in- OMGosh . . . O.o I completely forgot about the idea of adding Tsunade or Jiraiya or Orochimaru in this story . . . Now I have to find a place for them! XD XD XD I love those characters too.

Byushi- lol:D Thanks a lot for the review. I'll try and continue to make good chapters!

veracytzwolves- Well, with the way things are going it looks like Sasuke is still clueless . . . T.T But one never knows what's going to happen! Things could go crazy in an instant and Sasuke would be the Knight who saves his Princess and the evil warlock Gaara would melt into a pile of water and stuff . . . or something along those lines. XD lol!

zornoid13- Updating:D This wasn't exactly soon, but I still hope it's okay.

Ou Yang Jing- Oh, I'm so glad you like this and Byakko Bouken! –Big Hugs- I really like typical Highschool stories for some reason, but I don't like how some of them are so poorly written _because _of the fact that they're so typical . . . It's hard to find perfect ones! Though I found a ton of Kingdom Hearts ones I abolsutely adore . . . lol! For some reason I tend to gravitate towards Shounen-ai/Yaoi Highschool stories . . . ack! Terrible habit! XD

DoCToR MeOwZiE- Well, hopefully this wasn't too bad! I know it's a litle long to wait for an update, but yeay! It was within a month! XD

Drackial- lol! XD Everyone sitting on a dumpster while Ino is inside of it . . . that's too funny! XD I'm making her such a back guy her, but the truth is I really like her a lot:D I love strong-willed characters like her in anime, especially since it's not too common for female characters to be strong in mind _and _strong in battle like her.

ang3L-blue- -Hugs- Thank you! I hope this wasn't too bad for you, chapter-wise. XD I just didn't see Gaara as the type to try anything on Sakura, you know? And I'm sure that's what many people expected . . . ack! XD

BBKarateGrl- No worries, I'll say that Neji _isn't _the café character, but he will definitely be in this fanfiction. I love him in the later chapters of Naruto:D He's so cool, and no so arrogant like he used to be. XD So I agree with you! And have you seen him with his new hairstyle in the latest chapters? It's so . . . –drools- OMGosh! XD

my-ripped-paperheart- Yeay for the sexayness of characters! XD Sasuke and Ino actually hang out in this story a lot more than what it would seem- Ino adores Sasuke and he honestly can't stand her, but they have a strange sort of relationship that will be explained later in the story. XD Hopefully I'll be able to portray it right!

BlueKanji- Thank you so much, and to add it to your favorites is such an honor! XD Truth be told, I really like Ino a lot! I was saying to another reviewer how I admired her because not only is she strong-willed as a person, but she's a talented fighter as well. I think she's really cool! Just . . . somehow she's turning evil in this story. XD

Defafaeth Mechqua- Ack! Cute face! XD Thank you for reading my story.


	16. Past

**Chapter Sixteen**

Hours went by between the two, and the entire time Sakura slept without a worry or a care. It was as if she wasn't a hostage, wasn't in the room of a boy who had the eyes that threatened to kill . . . She felt completely comfortable and cozy, as if it was another warm, ordinary day.

Gradually Sakura stirred from her nap, opening her eyes slowly then snapping them open when she was alerted with the sound of a repetitive, pounding heartbeat right by her ear. She turned her head and tried her best to sit up, only to be pulled in tighter by a pair of strong, clingy arms.

'_Oh my God,' _she thought, a heavy blush rising to her face and her own heartbeat racing faster and faster as the realization came to her. Her nervous green eyes tilted upward to see Gaara's peaceful, resting expression and she squirmed her arms in between his to cover her face. _'I . . . I slept in the same bed as a guy!'_

And a handsome one too. Sure, Gaara was scary looking, and right now his make-up was looking a little smeared from what she guessed was tossing around in the covers, but he really wasn't bad looking . . . Wait. She couldn't be thinking this now! _'This isn't right, this isn't right . . . how did this happen?'_

A low moan escaped from him that she could feel vibrating in his chest and he hugged her tighter as if she were a stuffed bear. The intimate contact, especially with someone she barely knew made her feel embarrassed and dirty at the same time. When she tried again to get away his grip returned; it was almost as if he were awake and doing this on purpose. _'Gaara . . . come on! Please!'_

As beads of sweat from apprehension began to form along her skin the door to Gaara's room creaked open. Sakura, unfortunately, was on the side towards the window of the bedroom while Gaara's self was closest to the door. She was being held so tightly against him she couldn't possibly see who walked in, but the voice gave her an idea.

"Ah, good. Still asleep."

It was a deep voice, yet still the one of a young man. Sakura recognized it as one of the other relatives that were inside the house when she came in at the computer and at the library. She remembered him as being not necessarily tan or pale, with a wide, strong looking body and dark, scary tattoos that lined across his face.

With a sigh it sounded like he was about to turn around and leave again, but she couldn't stand the idea of being left in this . . . position, any longer. Quickly she pushed just enough to raise her hand over Gaara's body, something that was much harder to do without waking him than she had expected. When she spoke, it was completely muffled. " . . . Help . . . please . . ."

"Oh, you're still here." It sounded as if he didn't care about helping her, but after a few footsteps and an unknown clink along Gaara's desk he was over to gently pry open the gothic boy's arms. She rolled back against the wall first before sitting up, and as soon as she was off the bed and standing she stretched towards the ceiling as much as possible.

"That's much better!" she said happily, though she noted to keep her voice down so as not to wake Gaara up. She smiled to the one who had helped her out, who wasn't necessarily doing anything now. He leaned against the door of the bedroom in a sort of waiting fashion, as if he was expecting her to come out and down the stairs with him. "Thank you . . . um . . ."

"I'm Kankuro, Gaara's brother," he replied, giving her a sort of awkward smile of his own.

"My name is-"

"Haruno Sakura, I know." She pouted a little bit at being interrupted, but she quickly dismissed it; after all, this guy was nice enough to help her in the first place. He looked over in the direction of Gaara's desk and her gaze followed, and finally she learned what that clink noise she heard earlier was. It was a small, rectangular tray with a bowl, drink and medicine.

'_Must have been for Gaara,' _she concluded, sniffing a little. The scent of the soup in the bowl seemed to gravitate to her direction and wafted through her nose, and her stomach growled. She hadn't realized how hungry she was! _'It's been a while since I've eaten.'_

Kankuro noticed the expression on her face and shrugged. "It's yours if you want. He's asleep, so it's useless for him I guess. Just keep the medication on the table or something."

"_Yes_! Thanks!"

She didn't even question why Gaara had to take medicine; in fact, she almost had a sneaking suspicion before that he did have to take some sort of stabilizer in order to keep from acting crazy around everyone that dared to say anything to him.

Instead she did as she was told. She placed the medicine on the desk and took the tray to the floor with her, ready to sit down and eat. Not exactly sure on what else to do, Kankuro shrugged and sat down with her.

When she started to eat, she recalled something she was very curious about. "Kankuro, who is Yashamaru?"

The name seemed to immediately cause some sort of distress in his eyes. She was a little nervous about that and wasn't sure if she should have asked, but nevertheless he replied to her question. She was glad of that.

"Yashamaru is our uncle," he said, which surprised her a little. That was a relation she wasn't expecting. "Our mom died after giving birth to Gaara. Dad was so angry he refused to take care of him, so our uncle, Yashamaru, decided to be the one to take him in. He didn't exactly like Gaara either because our mother was his sister, but I guess things went okay. Gaara liked him a lot."

"So it seems," she agreed, nodding as she put in a spoonful of the soup in her mouth. She swallowed, then continued. "I heard him mention Yashamaru's name in his sleep, so that's why I was curious."

"I see."

"So . . . what happened to him?"

"Uncle?" Kankuro asked, and she nodded. "Jail. This is gonna sound really out of the ordinary . . . not that we probably don't already seem weird to you, but our uncle was a hit man. He was a really nice guy on the outside, but I guess on the inside he was too greedy for his own good. So, our Dad paid him to 'take care' of Gaara. And he messed up. Dad's in jail too."

"Are . . . are you serious?" Both seemed to find it unnecessary to answer that, and she turned her head upward to look at Gaara, who was still sleeping peacefully in his bed. Right there, he didn't look like he had a care in the world. But as soon as those eyes opened he looked to her as if he had been living a hellish nightmare. Now she could see why. "That must be . . . so lonely . . ."

"Don't worry about it too much," Kankuro finally said, making her turn in his direction again as he stood up from his spot. She had quickly eaten what was given to him while he told her story, so he leaned down to pick up the tray. "Gaara's fine now, in a way. It was a long time ago. His idea is to live and love yourself. No one else."

"But that sucks!" she replied harshly, catching his attention. She looked sad, but not enough to shed tears. It was a frightening story, something so real and scary that it would make anyone weak in the knees. But still . . . Sakura looked up to Gaara once again then to Kankuro, a melancholy expression on her face. "No one should have to go through that stuff . . . everybody needs someone."

"Not Gaara."

"You guys love him, right? You and Temari?"

She had remembered her name from vague memories, and judging from the fact that Kankuro was Gaara's brother she ultimately had to be their older sister. Somehow she didn't think the both of them were as uncaring as they tried to make it seem. From what she saw, they were always together. And little actions did seem to show they were concerned about him . . .

Kankuro really wasn't sure what to say about that. So, he didn't say anything. He just turned around, opened the door and stepped out without another word, leaving her and his brother behind. Just before he left, however, Sakura could have sworn that he had a small, genuine smile. _'Kankuro . . .'_

Sakura somehow felt uncomfortable sitting on the ground alone all of a sudden. Looking up at the ceiling made everything seem tall and strange, especially since she was in a new surrounding. Instead of staying put she decided to carefully crawl back on the table next to Gaara.

'_It's weird, but I don't feel so embarrassed right now,' _she thought. She wasn't sleepy, so she decided to sit back against the wall and watch him instead. She could hear his soft, quiet breathing as he dreamed, but when she thought of what she had been told a pang of hurt hit her. _'No wonder you act the way you do.'_

A tap on the window next to her made her jump and she whipped her head around to see who was, her heart hammering from the sudden surprise. Right there on the other side was one of the oddest looking people she had ever seen in her life, and not an attractive sort of oddness either.

It was a tall, thin boy with an unusual bobbed black haircut with large dark eyes, lined with long, thick lashes. A wide, awkward smile crossed his pale cheeks as their eyes met and he gave her a wink. Oh, good God, those _eyebrows_. Somehow, she wasn't feeling comforted. _'Weird . . . weird! This guy is just weird!'_

Sakura turned to see if Gaara had been stirred awake by the commotion, only to find him cutely clinging to one of his pillows. She turned back, a more serious expression on. When she found it okay she twisted the latch to the window open, allowing the both of them to speak properly. "Who . . . who are you?"

Just the very question itself seemed to send him off in a fit of glee. He answered proudly. "My name is Rock Lee, and I'm here to save you from the evil clutches of Gaara! I've been waiting here three and a half hours for the perfect opportunity!"

"_Shh_! Keep it in whispers!" she demanded, though she had quickly acknowledged that she listened to what he said. "And how are you going to get me out of here without him waking up?"

There was a heavy pause between the two, then he nodded. "I . . . I haven't thought of that yet!"

'_This guy,' _shethought, a tinge of annoyance filling her with just looking at him. Him, and that dorky smile, and those eyebrows . . . those _eyebrows_! They were huge! "If you really want to rescue me, just move out of the way so I can climb down the ladder you're on."

"Ladder?" he seemed to question, though at the same time he leaned far to the side to do as he was told. As she took on last glance at Gaara, then stepped her feet cautiously out the window they spoke more. "How did you know I was on a ladder?"

"We're on the second floor."

"You . . . you're amazing! Intelligent!"

Little by little Sakura traveled down towards the bottom of the ladder, Lee just above her and watching her every move with a smile. She felt a little creeped out by it, but now that she was starting to think without his talking in between he really was being kind to her. He was bizarre, yes, but in the couple of minutes they had met he had only done kind things for her. _'I should probably be a little more grateful.'_

At the bottom waiting were two more people, ones she had recognized from classes before. The boy, who had long, dark hair, pale skin and eerie white eyes was starting at her intently with a harsh expression. His name, if she recalled correctly, was Hyuuga Neji, and he was only in her first period class. The girl next to him was in her French and English class, a rather petite and cute young lady with her chocolate hair tied into neat buns on both sides of her head. She was Ten Ten.

And as soon as she stepped off to greet the two of them two more people showed up, ones she recognized instantly with a wide smile. They had popped out of the bushes from the neighbors' yard, waving at her as if greeting her for the first time. She ran past Neji and Ten Ten, going straight to them and giving both of them tight hugs. "Shikamaru! Chouji!

"Yo," Shikamaru replied as soon as she let go of him. He and his friend stepped out of the bushes and went to the other couples' side, where Lee also seemed to be waiting after climbing down the ladder. Sakura had only just realized that it was a huge party for such a rescue mission, and she felt embarrassed.

"We were hiding in case it wasn't a success . . . didn't want to get our butts kicked by Gaara." Chouji started to talk right after Shikamaru did, speaking as he wiped off a bunch of leaves from the bushes that were clinging to his clothes. He shivered. "Anyway, let's go. This place is giving me the creeps."

"C'mon, toughen up!" Ten Ten insisted, placing her hands on her hips and giving a powerful stance. "You've got to be braver, like Neji! You're such a coward, Chouji."

But the one she had just complemented seemed to think otherwise. His voice, unlike hers which was energetic and full of strong personality, seemed powerful in a much darker way. "I think it's best that we go and not start trouble."

"Why are you two here anyway?" Sakura asked. Somehow she had learned being in this neighborhood that it was never a bad time to ask a question. The first one who decided to answer was Lee, who had his arm raised like a child in school and he was waving it energetically.

"_Oooh_! Pick me! Pick me!" he said, and excited grin on his face. "I'll explain it all!"

X x x x

Finally, a new chapter! XD And finally, more characters to love. Includung my favorite . . . –Drumrolls- Lee! –Hugs him- I know it seems like I'm treating him badly, but it won't be like that long.

And as for Gaara's past . . . I tried to keep it sort of true to the anime but with a High school realism at the same time. So, I based it off of this true story I heard on Court TV. It was about these parents who hired a hit man to kill their children. T.T Terrible! But anyways, I figured Yashamaru _was_ a Ninja hit man in a sort of weird way . . . so now he's just a hit man. In jail. And he'll never pop up in the story because I love Gaara too much for that. So yeay!

I hope this chapter was alright for you . . . XD It was tough to write! Gaara x Sakura . . .! T.T That'd be so cute! Too bad they won't be together, although that'd be an interesting twist.

Drackial- Thanks! Believe it or not, I really do like Ino, and I know she's a good girl. I feel bad turning her into such an evil girl! T.T There's more to her and Sasuke than just a crush though, and while it doesn't justify what she does it makes it easier to understand her pain, so . . . Hopefully I'll get to that part someday:D Oh, and I found the hit counter thanks to you! Gosh it's crazy . . . This story gets thousands of hits! O.o I'm honored!

zornoid13- Yeay, I updated within a month! Not soon, but at least it was within a month. Lol!

NeyugnNosila- Thanks:D Gaara isn't sick, but it's more of a tranquilizer to keep him balanced. XD I guess it's obvious he doesn't like to take it, but he does. Only this time he took sleeping pills! And now he's all cute and sleepy. XD

Yokaigurl- So small? It's tough to write all this! XD Plus I have three other fanfictions I have to keep updating, so this is plenty for me! I still try to update this fanfiction monthly though. And as for Sakura, she doesn't have any loves in the past, so I don't think the Neji idea will work. XD Besides, he already has plans in the story!

Emeralde- :D –hugs- Thank you very much for the offer. And a SakuSasu fan, yeay! XD I thought I had the pairing I wanted figured out, but now I'm bad to square one. Ack! Sixteen chapters into the story and I still don't know! That's bad. XD

HinatasBiggestFanBoy- Awwww, thanks:D I'll do my best and I won't rush things, but I'll try and keep at least a little consistency. XD

Random Reviewer- Thank you! It would be an awsome pairing. XD Honestly, I think Sakura goes well with anybody! I really like Sakura, so I like thinking of different ways she can be a match for all the characters. Ultimately, it comes down to my favorite pairing for her in the anime though. XD She and Sasuke are destiny!

Kawaii-Hisui- Oh, thank you so much! I love charicterization, so it makes me happy that you enjoy that aspect of the story.

Mrs.Uchiha- Thanks! Strange relationship between who? Sasuke and Ino or Ino and Sakura? For the first pairings, yes! And for the second pairings, they never knew each other before Sakura's first day of school. XD

Nkitty29- Will do!

Kist- Aaaah, sometimes I feel the same way! It's such an unusually but good pairing. I think that's why I added my little Gaara x Sakura moment in her. XD Fwa! And there are more to come too! Hee hee hee . . .

SpErX- Thank you so much:D Gosh, it's crazy to think that through all this Naruto and Sasuke are completely oblivious . . . and they're the main guys! This part is mostly for Sakura' own development and interaction with other characters. It's fun!

Marise-Faia- :D Well, welcome back! –Hugs- And I do remember you, so yeay! I'm happy you liked the last chapter- I'm very glad with how this little bit is going to far! Probably because I'm crazy in love with Gaara . . . and Lee! XD

Vanillagal- Thank you so much for reading HV and Summoner:D That makes me incredibly happy. Lol, I got my addiction to Naruto when I started reading the fanfics too. XD Sometimes I feel it's the best part of anime!

BlueKanji- :D And continue I shall! I won't quit, no matter how long this story is!

Crisis Haylo- OMGosh, you're right! I need to put in some Temari x Shikamaru fluff. They're such a perfect couple . . . they need to realize it, already! XD

krn-kimbap- And indeed he is. –Loves him- That, in my opinion, is the sexayest sleeping panda I've ever seen. XD lol!


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